The removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from reject water of municipal wastewater treatment plant using ferric and nitrate bioreductions

Abstract

Reject water, which is the liquid fraction produced after dewatering of anaerobically digested activated sludge on the municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs), contributes up to 80% of the nitrogen and phosphorus loads to the MWWTP. It was proposed to combine the removal of nitrogen from reject water using the sequential biooxidation of NH(4)(+) and bioreduction of NO(3)(-) with precipitation of phosphate by Fe(2+) ions produced due to bioreduction of Fe(3+) in iron ore. Bioreduction of NO(3)(-) decreased Fe(3+) bioreduction rate in reject water from 37 to 21mg Fe(2+)/Ld due to competition between NO(3)(-) and Fe(3+) for electron donors. Addition of acetate as electron donor increased both bioreduction rates of Fe(3+) and NO(3)(-) but acetate interfered with the competition between nitrate and phosphate anions reacting with ferrous cations decreasing efficiency of the phosphate removal from reject water. The stages of denitrification and ferric bioreduction/phosphate precipitation must be performed sequentially.