Insights on pretreatment technologies for partial nitrification/anammox processes: A critical review and future perspectives

Bioresour Technol. 2023 Sep:384:129351. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129351. Epub 2023 Jun 17.

Abstract

For almost 20 years, partial nitrification-anammox (PN/A) has been the subject of intensive study and development. Pretreatment of wastewater for PN/A is crucial because the inhibitory substances in the influent may reduce the performance of PN/A. In this review, the current PN/A pretreatment technologies are comprehensively summarized. The selection of pretreatment technology for PN/A depending on the source of the wastewater and its main characteristics (high-strength wastewater or municipal wastewater, organic matters, suspended solids). Comparison of pretreatment technologies through multiple perspectives including wastewater characteristics, the objectives of the wastewater treatment (treating requirement, energy and resource recovery demand), reactor configuration of PN/A. Based on the discussion, two integrated processes, HRAS + one-stage PN/A and advanced AD + two-stage PN/A, are recommended as the preferred processes for treating municipal wastewater and wastewater with a high-strength ammonium, respectively. This review aims to provide guidance for future research and development of PN/A.

Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Energy recovery; Inhibitory substances; Partial nitrification-anammox; Pretreatment.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Ammonium Compounds*
  • Anaerobic Ammonia Oxidation
  • Bioreactors
  • Denitrification
  • Nitrification*
  • Nitrogen
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Sewage
  • Wastewater

Substances

  • Wastewater
  • Sewage
  • Nitrogen
  • Ammonium Compounds