PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA

College of Engineering and Technology

Chemical Engineering Department

BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL

Nitrogen and phosphorus are the primary causes of cultural

eutrophication (i.e., nutrient enrichment due to human activities) in surface

waters. The most recognizable manifestations of this eutrophication are algal

blooms that occur during the summer. Chronic symptoms of over-enrichment

include low dissolved oxygen, fish kills, murky water, and depletion of desirable

flora and fauna. In addition, the increase in algae and turbidity increases the

need to chlorinate drinking water, which, in turn, leads to higher levels of

disinfection by-products that have been shown to increase the risk of cancer.

Excessive amounts of nutrients can also stimulate the activity of microbes,

such as Pfisteria, which may be harmful to human health (U.S. EPA, 2001).

Approximately 25% of all water body impairments are due to nutrient-

related causes (e.g., nutrients, oxygen depletion, algal growth, ammonia,

harmful algal blooms, biological integrity, and turbidity) (U.S. EPA, 2007). In

efforts to reduce the number of nutrient impairments, many point source

dischargers have received more stringent effluent limits for nitrogen and

phosphorus. To achieve these new, lower effluent limits, facilities have begun to

look beyond traditional treatment.

DESCRIPTION

Biological nutrient removal (BNR) removes total nitrogen (TN) and total

phosphorus (TP) from wastewater through the use of microorganisms under different

environmental conditions in the treatment process (Metcalf and Eddy, 2003).

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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

Because conventional biological processes designed to meet secondary

treatment effluent standards typically do not remove total nitrogen (TN) and

total phosphorus (TP) to the extent needed to protect receiving waters,

wastewater treatment facilities are increasingly being required to implement

processes that reduce effluent nutrient concentrations to safe levels.

PHOSPORUS REMOVAL

Total effluent phosphorus comprises soluble and particulate

phosphorus. Particulate phosphorus can be removed from wastewater through

solids removal. To achieve low effluent concentrations, the soluble fraction of

phosphorus must also be targeted. Exhibit 2 shows the removal mechanisms

for phosphorus.

Biological phosphorus removal relies on phosphorus uptake by aerobic

heterotrophs capable of storing orthophosphate in excess of their biological

growth requirements.

As shown in Exhibit 2, phosphorus can also be removed from wastewater

through chemical precipitation. Chemical precipitation primarily uses

aluminum and iron coagulants or lime to form chemical flocs with phosphorus.

These flocs are then settled out to remove phosphorus from the wastewater

(Viessman and Hammer, 1998).

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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

However, compared to biological removal of phosphorus, chemical

processes have higher operating costs, produce more sludge, and result in

added chemicals in sludge (Metcalf and Eddy, 2003). When TP levels close to

0.1 mg/L are needed, a combination of biological and chemical processes may

be less costly than either process by itself.

Phosphate removal is currently achieved largely by chemical

precipitation, which is expensive and causes an increase of sludge volume by

up to 40%. An alternative is the biological phosphate removal (BPR).

Over the past 20 years, several biological suspended growth process

configurations have been used to accomplish biological phosphorous removal.

The most important are shown in the following picture.

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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

The principal advantages of biological phosphorous removal are reduced

chemical costs and less sludge production as compared to chemical

precipitation.

Biological phosphorus removal relies on phosphorus uptake by aerobic

heterotrophs capable of storing orthophosphate in excess of their biological

growth requirements. The treatment process can be designed to promote the

growth of these organisms, known as phosphate-accumulating organisms

(PAOs) in mixed liquor .Under anaerobic conditions, PAOs convert readily

available organic matter [e.g., volatile fatty acids (VFAs)] to carbon compounds

called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). PAOs use energy generated through the

breakdown of polyphosphate molecules to create PHAs. This breakdown results

in the release of phosphorus. The reactor configuration in comprised of an

anaerobic tank and an activated sludge activated tank. The retention time in

the anaerobic tank is about 0.50 to 1.00 hours and its contents are mixed to

provide contact with the return activated sludge and influent wastewater.

In the anaerobic zone: Under anaerobic conditions, PAO assimilate

fermentation products (i.e. volatile fatty acids) into storage products within the

cells with the concomitant release of phosphorous from stored polyphosphates.

Acetate is produced by fermentation of bsCOD, which is dissolved degradable

organic material that can be easily assimilated by the biomass.

In the aerobic zone: energy is produced by the oxidation of storage

products and polyphosphate storage within the cell increases. Stored PHB is

metabolized, providing energy from oxidation and carbon for new cell growth.
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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

Some glycogen is produced from PHB metabolism. The energy released from

PHB oxidation is used to form polyphosphate bonds in cell storage. The soluble

orthophosphate is removed from solution and incorporated into

polyphosphates within the bacterial cell. PHB utilization also enhances cell

growth and this new biomass with high polyphosphate storage accounts for

phosphorous removal. As a portion of the biomass is wasted, the stored

phosphorous is removed from the bio treatment reactor for ultimate disposal

with the waste sludge.

The amount of phosphorous removed by biological storage can be

estimated from the amount of bsCOD that is available in the wastewater

influent. Better performance for BPR systems is achieved when bsCOD acetate

is available at a steady rate.

NITROGEN REMOVAL

Municipal wastewater treatment plants biologically remove nitrogen in

two ways.

FIRST: Somewhere on the order of 10 mg/L of influent nitrogen is typically

converted to the bacteria that end up as sludge. Because nitrogen makes up

about twelve percent of the dry weight of secondary sludge, and a slightly

smaller percentage of primary sludge, every 8-10 mg/L of effluent TSS

contains one mg/L of suspended nitrogen. The TSS nitrogen is organic-N.

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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

SECOND: Treatment plants convert the majority of the incoming nitrogen to

nitrogen gas in a three step biological process. (Jeyanayagam, 2005).

Step 1. Organic-nitrogen is converted to ammonia-nitrogen (NH4)

by a mostly anaerobic process called Ammonification.

Step 2. Ammonia-nitrogen (NH4) is converted to nitrate-nitrogen

(NO3 ) by an aerobic biological process called nitrification.

Step 3. Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3) is converted to nitrogen gas

biologically in a low-oxygen (anoxic) environment. During

denitrification, nitrogen gas bubbles harmlessly out of wastewater

into the atmosphere.

Ammonification

The majority of the nitrogen contained in raw sewage (urea and fecal

material) is converted from organic-nitrogen to ammonia (NH4 ) as it travels

through sewer pipes. As a result, the majority of the influent nitrogen is

ammonia (NH4 ), although some organic-nitrogen remains. In most plants, less

than 2 mg/L of organicnitrogen passes through the treatment plant untreated.

The rest is converted to ammonia (NH4). Ammonification is mostly an

anaerobic process. It is sometimes called hydrolysis. Most treatment plants do

nothing to enhance organic-nitrogen removal; it is not managed. However,

treatment facilities with total-nitrogen effluent limits can oftentimes reduce the

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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

organic nitrogen to less than one mg/L by subjecting wastewater to strongly

anaerobic and organically-rich conditions.

Nitrification.

Ammonia removal is a strictly aerobic biological process. Technically,

bacteria convert ammonia (NH4 ) to nitrate (NO3 ); it isnt really removed.

Nitrification only works on ammonia (NH4 ). Organic-nitrogen is not converted

directly to nitrate (NO3 ); it must first be converted to ammonia (NH4 ), and the

ammonia (NH4 ) converted to nitrite (NO2 ) and then nitrate (NO3 ). Nitrifying

bacteria are slower growing and more sensitive to environmental upset than

BOD removing bacteria. Generally, nitrification occurs only under aerobic

conditions at dissolved oxygen levels of more than 1.0 mg/L. In activated

sludge facilities, nitrification requires a long retention time, a low food to

microorganism ratio (F:M), a high mean cell residence time (measured as MCRT

or Sludge Age), and adequate pH buffering (alkalinity). A plug- flow, extended

aeration tank is ideal. In trickling filter plants, it is generally best to operate in

series with BOD removal in the first trickling filter and ammonia (NH4 )

removal in the second filter. The nitrification process produces acid. The acid

lowers the pH of the biological population and is unless buffered toxic to the

nitrifying bacteria. An aeration tank (or trickling filter) alkalinity of at least 60

mg/L is generally required. If there isnt enough alkalinity present in the

wastewater, bacteria will not complete the nitrification process; nearly all of the

ammonia (NH4 ) will be converted to nitrite (NO2 ) but not all of the nitrite

(NO2 ) will be converted to nitrate (NO3 ). At concentrations of more than 0.5

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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

mg/L nitrite (NO2 ) can interfere with chlorine disinfection. At concentrations

of a few milligrams per liter, nitrite (NO2 ) can exhibit toxicity and provide

process upsets. Water temperature also affects the rate of nitrification. At

temperatures below 20 degrees C, nitrification proceeds at a slower rate, but

will continue at temperatures below 10o C. However, if nitrification is lost, it

will not resume until the temperature increases to well over 10o C.

Denitrification.

Wastewater cannot be denitrified unless it is first nitrified. The biological

reduction of nitrate (NO3) to nitrogen gas is performed by bacteria that live in a

low-oxygen environment. To thrive, the bacteria need BOD soluble BOD.

Particulate BOD needs to be broken down into solution before it is of value.

Denitrifying organisms are generally less sensitive to toxic chemicals than

nitrifiers, and recover from toxic shock loads quicker than nitrifiers. However,

most facilities have more difficulty with nitrate (NO3 ) removal (denitrification)

than ammonia (NH4 ) removal (nitrification) for two principal reasons. At low

temperatures, it becomes more difficult to drive down the dissolved oxygen

concentration and keep the ORP values at desired negative millivolt levels.

Variations in BOD loadings also make it difficult to maintain consistent nitrate

(NO3 ) removal. Denitrifying bacteria require a considerable amount of soluble

BOD (some five times as much as the amount of nitrate (NO3 ) being

denitrified) and many facilities find it difficult to provide an ongoing supply of

readily digestible BOD.

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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

Exhibit 1 summarizes the removal mechanisms applicable to each form of

nitrogen.

Note that organic nitrogen is not removed biologically; rather only the

particulate fraction can be removed through solids separation via

sedimentation or filtration.

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

For BNR systems to result in low TN and TP effluent concentrations,

proper operation and control of the systems is essential. Operators should be

trained to understand how temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, pH,

filamentous growth, and recycle loads affect system performance. Biological

nitrogen removal reaction rates are temperature dependent. Nitrification and

denitrification rates increase as temperature increases (until a maximum

temperature is reached). In general, nitrification rates double for every 8 to

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 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
College of Engineering and Technology
Chemical Engineering Department

10C rise in temperature (WEF and ASCE/EWRI, 2006). The effect of

temperature on biological phosphorus removal is not completely understood

(WEF and ASCE/EWRI, 2006), although rates usually slow at temperatures

above 30C (Jeyanayagam, 2005). DO must be present in the aerobic zone for

phosphorus uptake to occur. However, it is important not to over-aerate. DO

concentrations around 1 mg/L are sufficient. Over-aeration can lead to

secondary release of phosphorus due to cell lysis, high DO levels in the

internal mixed liquor recycle (which could reduce TP and TN removal rates),

and increased operation and maintenance (O&M) costs (Jeyanayagam, 2005).

There is evidence that both nitrification and phosphorus removal rates

decrease when pH levels drop below 6.9. Nitrification results in the

consumption of alkalinity. As alkalinity is consumed, pH decreases. Thus,

treatment plants with low influent alkalinity may have reduced nitrification

rates

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