Startup of pilot-scale single-stage nitrogen removal using anammox and partial nitritation (SNAP) reactor for waste brine treatment using marine anammox bacteria

doi:10.1016/j.jbiosc.2021.06.013

Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering

Volume 132, Issue 5, November 2021, Pages 505-512

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiosc.2021.06.013 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Pilot scale SNAP reactor to treat waste brine was successfully started up for the first time.
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Marine anammox bacteria affiliated to Candidatus Scalindua was enriched.
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AOB granule formed precedingly provided favorable growth condition for anammox bacteria and worked as biomass carrier.
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Application of mesh-screen contributed to the retention of SNAP sludge in the reactor.

This study is the first to demonstrate the startup of a pilot-scale single-stage nitrogen removal using anammox and partial nitritation (SNAP) reactor utilizing marine anammox bacteria. A complete mixing type reactor, continuously fed with waste brine obtained from a natural gas plant (salinity 3%, NH₄⁺-N 130–180 mg/L) and having an effective volume of 2 m³, achieved stable operation at temperatures of 20–30°C with a maximum nitrogen removal rate of 1.43 kg-N/m³/day. During the startup process, along with a small amount of seed sludge, granular sludge was additionally inoculated as a biomass carrier for the enrichment of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), followed by the enrichment of anammox bacteria. A mesh screen equipped at the outlet of the reactor facilitated the successful sludge retention in the reactor. Analysis of bacterial community composition indicated that Candidatus Scalindua was successfully enriched in the pilot SNAP reactor. These methods for stable sludge retention in the reactor greatly contributed to the startup of the first pilot-scale SNAP reactor using marine anammox bacteria.

Section snippets

SNAP reactor

To investigate the startup method of the pilot-scale SNAP process for waste brine treatment, we used a complete mixing type reactor including settling zone with length, width, height, and working volume of 1.0 m, 1.0 m, 2.2 m, and 2 m³, respectively (Fig. 1). Waste brine (Table 1), generated from a natural gas plant, was supplied to the reactor at flow rates of 30–900 L/h. The trace element solution (30–200 mL) was added to the reactor three times per week. The trace element solution contained

Cultivation of AOB (phase 1 to 2)

After day 90 in phase 1, the bulky and fluffy sludge was enriched and the nitrification rate (NR) increased to 0.26 kg-N/m³/day on day 142 (Fig. 2A and B). However, the sludge was washed out because of its poor settleability. After the addition of freshwater anammox granules as a biomass carrier of AOB on day 477 in phase 2, NR sharply increased and reached to 0.77 kg-N/m³/day on day 493. DO concentration decreased from 5.0 mg/L in phase 1 to 0.5 mg/L in phase 2.

Cultivation of anammox bacteria (phase 3 to 4)

After the addition of anammox

Preceding AOB cultivation for anammox growth

In this study, AOB cultivation preceding anammox bacteria cultivation decreased the DO concentration to 0.5 mg/L and increased the nitrite production rate, which are favorable for the growth of anammox bacteria. DO inhibits the activity of anammox bacteria, while it is essential for the partial nitritation by AOB. Several studies have reported the inhibiting DO concentration of 5.0 mg/L for granular anammox sludge (31) and 0.5 mg/L for floc anammox sludge (32). Previous studies investigated the

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Keiyo Natural Gas Association.

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Anammox-based technologies: A review of recent advances, mechanism, and bottlenecks
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The removal of nitrogen via the ANAMMOX process is a promising green wastewater treatment technology, with numerous benefits. The incessant studies on the ANAMMOX process over the years due to its long start-up and high operational cost has positively influenced its technological advancement, even though at a rather slow pace. At the moment, relatively new ANAMMOX technologies are being developed with the goal of treating low carbon wastewater at low temperatures, tackling nitrite and nitrate accumulation and methane utilization from digestates while also recovering resources (phosphorus) in a sustainable manner. This review compares and contrasts the handful of ANAMMOX -based processes developed thus far with plausible solutions for addressing their respective bottlenecks hindering full-scale implementation. Ultimately, future prospects for advancing understanding of mechanisms and engineering application of ANAMMOX process are posited. As a whole, technological advances in process design and patents have greatly contributed to better understanding of the ANAMMOX process, which has greatly aided in the optimization and industrialization of the ANAMMOX process. This review is intended to provide researchers with an overview of the present state of research and technological development of the ANAMMOX process, thus serving as a guide for realizing energy autarkic future practical applications.
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Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is an energy-efficient method for nitrogen removal that opens the possibility for energy-neutral wastewater treatment. Research on anammox over the past decade has primarily focused on its implementation in domestic wastewater treatment. However, emerging studies are now expanding its use to novel biotechnological applications and wastewater treatment processes. This review highlights recent advances in the anammox field that aim to overcome conventional bottlenecks, and explores novel and niche-specific applications of the anammox process. Despite the promising results and potential of these advances, challenges persist for their real-world implementation. This underscores the need for a transition from laboratory achievements to practical, scalable solutions for wastewater treatment which mark the next crucial phase in the evolution of anammox research.
Effect of phosphorus limitation on the anammox process under different nitrogen concentrations
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The effect of phosphorus limitation on the nitrogen removal performance of the anammox process was investigated using continuous feeding reactors. When the phosphorus supply was stopped under an influent nitrogen concentration of 256 mg-N L⁻¹, a high nitrogen conversion rate of 1.88 kg-N m⁻³ d⁻¹ was maintained for 17 days. However, during the next 25 days, the nitrogen conversion rate decreased by 16.5%. Subsequently, nitrogen removal activity was recovered entirely by re-adding 0.1 mg-P L⁻¹ of phosphorus. Similar tests were performed at different influent nitrogen concentrations. The results showed that the minimum phosphorus concentrations (MPC) in the influent required to maintain anammox activity at influent nitrogen concentrations of 379 and 502 mg-N L⁻¹ were 0.2 and 0.3 mg L⁻¹, respectively. These results indicate that the MPC increased with N concentration, with an MPC/N of 0.0005. A microbial community analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that two genera of anammox bacteria (Candidatus Kuenenia and Candidatus Jettenia) were presented. The dominant anammox bacteria changed from Candidatus Kuenenia to Candidatus Jettenia after the phosphorus-limitation tests.
On anammox activity at low temperature: Effect of ladderane composition and process conditions
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Citation Excerpt :
“Ca. Scalindua”, the anammox genus highly promising for cold adaptation, can be enriched from marine sediments not only in the form of flocs but also granules [58]; it can be combined with partial denitrification [59] and utilize various reactor set-ups as reviewed by Yokota et al. [60]. Lotti et al. [17] hypothesized that anammox growing in one-stage PN/A may become adapted to oxygen inhibition, and that the mechanism for maintaining homeostasis under oxygen inhibition may also alleviate cold stress.
The application of partial nitritation-anammox (PN/A) under mainstream conditions can enable substantial cost savings at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), but how process conditions and cell physiology affect anammox performance at psychrophilic temperatures below 15 °C remains poorly understood. We tested 14 anammox communities, including 8 from globally-installed PN/A processes, for (i) specific activity at 10–30 °C, (ii) composition of membrane lipids, and (iii) microbial community structure. We observed that membrane composition and cultivation temperature were closely related to the activity of anammox biomasses. The size of ladderane lipids and the content of bacteriohopanoids were key physiological components related to anammox performance at low temperatures. We also indicate that the adaptation of mesophilic cultures to psychrophilic regime necessitates months, but in some cases can take up to 5 years. Interestingly, biomass enriched in the marine genus “Candidatus Scalindua” displayed outstanding potential for nitrogen removal from cold streams. Collectively, our comprehensive study provides essential knowledge of cold adaptation mechanism, will enable more accurate modelling and suggests highly promising target anammox genera for inoculation and set-up of anammox reactors, in particular for mainstream WWTPs.
Advances in the Efficient Enrichment of Anammox Bacteria
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View full text

Startup of pilot-scale single-stage nitrogen removal using anammox and partial nitritation (SNAP) reactor for waste brine treatment using marine anammox bacteria

Highlights

Section snippets

SNAP reactor

Cultivation of AOB (phase 1 to 2)

Cultivation of anammox bacteria (phase 3 to 4)

Preceding AOB cultivation for anammox growth

Acknowledgments

J. Biosci. Bioeng.

Water Res.

Water Res.

Bioresour. Technol.

J. Biosci. Bioeng.

J. Biosci. Bioeng.

Bioresour. Technol.

J. Biosci. Bioeng.

Enzyme Microb. Technol.

Water Res.

Water Res.

Water Res.

Bioresour. Technol.

Water Res.

J. Environ. Manag.

Sci. Total Environ.

Corrosion of iron by iodide-oxidizing bacteria isolated from brine in an iodine production facility

Microb. Ecol.

Mineral commodity summaries 2020

High rate nitrogen removal from waste brine by marine anammox bacteria in a pilot scale UASB reactor

Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.

Practical realization of anammox process for waste brine treatment

Nat. Gas

Special aerobic wastewater and sludge treatment processes

The sequencing batch reactor as a powerful tool for the study of slowly growing anaerobic ammonium oxidizing microorganisms

Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.

Nitrogen removal by immobilized anammox sludge using PVA gel as biocarrier

J. Soc. Wat. Treat. Biol.