Prospects for Biological Nitrogen Removal from Anaerobic
Effluents during Mainstream Wastewater Treatment
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Abstract
Growing interest in the anaerobic
treatment of domestic wastewater
requires a parallel focus on developing downstream technologies that
address nitrogen pollution, especially for treatment systems located
in eutrophication-impacted watersheds. Anaerobic effluents contain
sulfide and hydrogen sulfide (a corrosive gas), dissolved methane
(a potent greenhouse gas), ammonium, and residual organic carbon predominantly
in the form of volatile fatty acids. Conventional approaches to nitrogen
removal are energy- and chemical-intensive and are not appropriate
for application to anaerobic effluents. Innovative, energy efficient
nitrogen removal processes are being developed and involve several
novel chemotrophic processes. This review provides information about
these processes, identifies how to control and retain the most desirable
microorganisms, and considers the impact of reactor configuration
on performance. Given the complexity of the technologies under development
that remove nitrogen from anaerobically treated domestic wastewater,
we conclude that computational models can support their development
and that sensor-mediated controls are essential to achieving energy
efficiency