Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, 43, 5301–5306
Full-Scale Nitrogen Removal from Digester Liquid with Partial Nitritation and Anammox in One SBR A D R I A N O J O S S , * ,† D A V I D S A L Z G E B E R , † ¨ NIG,† JACK EUGSTER,† ROGER KO KARIN ROTTERMANN,† SABINE BURGER,‡ PETER FABIJAN,‡ SUSANNE LEUMANN,§ JOACHIM MOHN,| AND HANSRUEDI SIEGRIST† Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and ¨ berlandstrasse 133, PO Box 611, CH-Du Technology, U ¨ bendorf, Switzerland, ERZ, Entsorgung und Recycling Stadt Zu ¨ rich, WWTP Werdho¨lzli, Ba¨ndlistrasse 108, 8010 Zu ¨ rich, Entsorgungsamt der Stadt St.Gallen, Abwasserreinigungsanlage Au, Rechenwaldstrasse 32, 9014 St.Gallen, and Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Laboratory for Air Pollution ¨ berlandstrasse 129, and Environmental Technology, U CH-Du ¨ bendorf, Switzerland
Received January 28, 2009. Revised manuscript received May 15, 2009. Accepted May 15, 2009.
Full-scale application of partial nitritation and anammox in a singlesuspended-growthsequencingbatch(SBR)reactorpresented here confirm the process suitable for removing nitrogen from ammonium-rich wastewater with low concentrations of BOD and suspended solids: details of simple and robust process control based on online ammonium or conductivity signals are discussed by describing the full-scale startup at three municipal plants (five reactors in total). Ammonium oxidation rates of up to 500 gN m-3d-1 with conversion to N2 of over 90% are achieved in a fullscale plant, but pilot results indicate that significantly higher rates are feasible. With continuous aeration at dissolved oxygen concentrations
