The purpose of this study is to clarify effects of temperature, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and recirculation on nitrification-denitrification activity and biota such as nitrifying bacteria in a small-scale domestic wastewater treatment process. Effects of VFAs produced in anaerobic biofilm reactors under various flow-rates and recirculation ratios on nitrifying bacteria were also investigated with laboratory-scale plants on a long-term stable conditions. As a result, at a temperature of 10°C, nitrification activity could be increased about 65% by recirculation and nitrogen removal efficiency was also surely raised. Temperature coefficients of nitrification rate at recirculation ratios of 0 and 4.0 were 1.039 and 1.090, respectively, and that of denitrification was 1.065 at recirculation ratio of 4.0.
High concentrations of VFAs were found in anaerobically treated effluent, especially at 10°C without recirculation, and inhibition of nitrite oxidation and nitrite accumulation were observed in the aerobic biofilm reactor. From batch experiments, VFAs' inhibition constants γ in nitrification activity of aerobic biofilm was calculated, and consumption rates of each VFA was investigated on the condition that denitrification was progressed or not. It was clarified that each VFA did not inhibit ammonium oxidation in observed concentration, but slightly inhibited nitrite oxidation. Acetic acid was used as a carbon source of denitrification at the rate of 17.3mg/mg-SS/hr. On the other hand, propionic acid was not used effectively and denitrification did not occur. It was concluded that the recirculation was indispensable to promote nitrification-denitrification activity and biodegradation of VFAs in the small-scale anaerobic-aerobic biofilm process.
Sludge production characteristics were investigated in many on-site small-scale wastewater treatment facilities used to treat domestic wastewater of about 1.25m3/day. Two popular types have been used in experiments for several years; one was an anaerobic bed reactor with constant flow-rate control system followed by aerobic bio-filtration reactor CFR type facility), and the other was an aerobic bed reactor with plug-flow stream followed by aerobic biofilm reactor (PFS type facility). Circulation ratio was set at 0 and 4. From the results obtained, lower sludge production rates were observed in CFR type facilities. Furthermore, it was suggested that a promotion of sludge decrease occurred in facilities with high denitrification activity at circulation ratio of 4. The results from experiments with different SS loading rates in laboratory-scale reactors suggested that at higher loading rates, the produced sludge was greater on account of the decrease of nitrification activity even on a circulating operation.
Two types of anaerobic-aerobic biofilm processes were applied to the treatment of the photographic processing wastewater. Two-phase fixed bed reactor packed with sponge cubic media and completely mixing three-phase fluidized bed reactor, respectively, were used as an anaerobic and aerobic biofilm reactors. One of the aerobic biofilm reactors was packed with cement balls (CB) made by crushed cement particles, and another packed with biological activated carbon (BAC). The fivefold diluted photographic processing wastewater, from which Ag had been removed previously, was used as an influent (BOD 5,700 g/m3, CODcr 17,000 g/m3, T-N 2,600 g/m3). During long-term continuous biological treatment, BOD values in effluent decreased gradually and reached 280 g/m3, which could fulfill the sewage discharge control value in Japan (BOD < 600 g/m3). It took more than one year to acclimatize the sludge and to get the effective microorganisms for degrading the compounds in the photographic processing wastewater. However, pH values in the aerobic biofilm reactors fell down to 3∼4. This was possibly because thiosulfate (5,700 g/m3) in the photographic processing wastewater was almost oxidized to sulfate by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. For the purpose of obtaining higher BOD removal efficiency, pH in the aerobic biofilm reactor was adjusted to 7 using pH controller. As a result, BOD removal ratio was gradually improved, and the sewage discharge control value was steadily achieved after 181 days. The number of bacteria in the anaerobic biofilm reactor and the aerobic biofilm reactor with pH controller were 6.0×109 N/mL and 1.1×108 N/mL, respectively.
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