REMOVAL OF NITROGEN

Sources of nitrogen

Nitrogen in untreated water is mainly in the form of ammonia or

organic nitrogen occurs.
In waste waters of number of industries it may be us proteins urea
uric acid.
Amino sugars aliphatic amines organic base pectin chitin quternary
ammonia
Compounds are however organic nitrogen will come from food
industries
Ammonia nitrogen is the constituent of discharges from the
ferroalloy industry petroleum refinery iron and steel units fertilizer
manufacturing rayon making glass industry inorganic chemical
manufacturing

TREATMENT TECHOLOGIES FOR NITROGEN REMOVA

CO2 adsorption -30-3555%removal
Coagulation with lime alum iron salt 50-70% removal
Biological methods
Distillation
Ion exchange-80-97%
Electrochemical treatment
Biological algal harvesting nitrification
Incineration
Chlorination -90-100%

BIOLOGICAL METHODS FOR NITROGEN REMOVAL

Organic nitrogen-optimum C-N ratio is required to be

maintained
In CO2 is low then volatilization of N&NH3 may result.
If C is high then biological stabilisation of organic CO2 Will
not complete .
N assimilation to yield NH -3N result compounds with
more narrow c:N
Ratio will favour mineralisation while those with a wide
C:N ratio favour
Immobiliation
of N Mineralisation occurs by aerobic
&anaerobic means by bacteria
Fungi & actinomycetes .temperature range is 2-65 C &PH
favourable is 7-8reduction in BOD

ORGANIC NIRTIGEN REMOVAL

% Organic N
Removal
Trickling filter
Air activated sludge
Pure O2
Three stage-nitrificationdenitrificationNitrification denitrification
Oxidation ditch
Submerged filter
denitrification

52
85%
83
81
94
90
99
52-58

Ammonia nitrogen
Biological nitrification are most effectively
applied for waste water with Intermediate to
low levels of ammonia nitrogen
oNitrification is an autotrophic process in
which energy is derived by M.O
By oxidation of nitrogen compounds

1.COMPINED

CO2

OXIDATION NITRIFICATION

a)Suspended growth

i) activated sludge
ii) conventional plug

flow
iii) complete mix
iv) extended
aeration
Removal of specific pollutants
b)Attached Growth
- trickling filter
- RBC
2) SEPARATE STAGE OF NITRIFICATION
Suspended growth
Attached growth

TF RBC

3) NITRIFICATION - DENITRIFICATION
COMBINED (single stage)
a) Bardenpho process (4 stage)
b) Oxidation ditch.
4) SEPARATED STAGE DENTIRFICATION.
a) suspended gowth -1)complete mix.
2)Plug flow reactor(PFR)
b) attached growth
_1) Packed bed
reactor.
2)Fluidised bed reactor.

3)RBC

ADVANTAGES

Less air required to achieve

nitrification and BOD removal
No carbon (external like
methanol ) addition required;
and
Elimination of intermediate
clarifiers
and
return-sludge
system

6NO-3+5CH3OH
5CO2+3N2+7H2O+6OH

Methanol
Nitrified
Effluent
effluent

O2
Dentrification
tank

Denitrification
Clarifier

Waste sludge

Biological Nitrogen removel in order to meet

increasingly stringent European discharge
standards new application and control
strategies for the substainable removal of
NH3 from waste water have to be
implemented .
In Nitrogen removal system based on the
process of partial nitrification and anoxic NH3
oxidation is developed.
The
anammox
process
offers
great
opportunities to remove ammonia in fully
autotrophic systems with biomass retention.
No organic carbon is needed in such
nitrogen removal system, since ammonia is
used as electron donor for nitrite reduction.

Brocadia anammoxidans and Kuenenia

stuttgartiensis
are planctomycete
like
bacteria
resposible for the anammox
process these a Anaeropic
ammonium
oxidizing bacteria are natural partners of
aerobic ammonium oxidizers in O2 limited
system
and
together
they
convert
Ammonium directly into di-nitrogen gas.
The sharon anammox process was
patented is presently evaluated for full scale
implementation by paques, a company in
anaerobic waste water treatment.

Denitrification by electrobioreactor: Nitrate pollution of ground H2O is health hazard

but current meth1ods for removing nitreate are
either in effective.
Ex:
Process that use live M.O to denitrify H2O are
slow frequently incomplete and difficult to set up
and maintain.
An Electro chemical Enzymatic process for
removing nitrate form groud water has been
developed by researches at mobitech GMBH,etc.
According to these researchers such electro
bioreactors could be developed.
For removal of other H2O contaminants such as
pesticides if appropriate enzymes and cofactors
can be identified.