Effect of organic carbon on the biological nitrogen removal through heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification and its optimization
Heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification(HN-AD)is a novel biological nitrogen removal technology for high-ammonium organic wastewater.Currently,related studies mainly focus on the HN-AD in pure culture using single bacteria,while studies on mixed bacteria systems suitable for realistic application scenario are relatively scarce,limiting the application of this technology.This study developed and validated an activated sludge domestication method with HN-AD function.Subsequently,the impacts of carbon source types and C/N ratio were investigated and optimized.Results showed that the HN-AD sludge was successfully domesticated,with a low proportion of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria(<1%).Under the optimal condition of nitrogen removal,Thauera was gradually enriched and became the dominant functional bacterium in the HN-AD system,accounting for a high relative abundance of 69.7%.Organic carbon sources had a significant impact on the HN-AD nitrogen removal system.At a C/N ratio of 20 and the mixed carbon sources(sodium citrate,sodium acetate,sodium succinate,the related COD ratio of these carbon sources was 1∶1∶1)in the HN-AD system,the removal efficiency of ammonium and total nitrogen could reach 95%and 89.6%,respectively,and COD removal efficiency could reach 92%,which could achieve effective total nitrogen and organic matter removal.