Recycling und Abfall-Management

Veröffentlichung zu Sickerwasserforschung auf der 4. Online Internationalen Konferenz der Coalesce Research Group, USA

Simultanous Investigation and Evaluation of the Deammonification versus conventional Nitrification/Denitrification processes in a two-laned Landfil Leachate Treatment Pilot Plant

Nitesh Babu Annepogu, Astrid Rehorek (TH Köln)

Abstract

It was studied whether the deammonification concept, which has already been shown in various
sidestream configurations and a few mainstream municipal wastewater treatment processes, could
be utilized to treat landfill leachate in general. The treatment of ammonia- rich wastewater using the
conventional nitrification/denitrification method typically requires a significant amount of energy for
aeration and an additional organic carbon source, which becomes a major cost factor. Deammonification
is a two-step biological process in which ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) convert half of the ammonia
in wastewater aerobically into nitrite. In the second step anammox bacteria oxidize ammonia with nitrite
to produce nitrogen gas without organic carbon substrate that is required for conventional heterotrophic
denitrification. Because deammonification requires less oxygen, less energy is required for nitrogen
removal. Since deammonification does not require the addition of external carbon, no chemicals such
as acetic acid are required. The feasibility of incorporating a three-stage deammonification process for
landfill leachate treatment is investigated in this study using a membrane-assisted bioreactor system. Its
performance is compared to that of the nitrification and denitrification processes using a two-lane pilot
plant. Both process technologies’ critical process parameters are depicted. The results of optimizing
ammonium purification rates and microbiocoenosis behaviour are presented. The results are generated
in both lanes of the pilot plant at the same time using online process-analytical functional analysis and
microbiological tests. The data is discussed in the context of assessing the stability, sustainability, and
economic viability of industrial scale-ups.