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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 1998, p. 4500-4506, Vol. 64, No. 11
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Ammonium Removal by the Oxygen-Limited Autotrophic Nitrification-Denitrification System

Linping Kuai and Willy Verstraete^*

Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbial Technology, State University of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium

Received 28 May 1998/Accepted 26 August 1998

The present lab-scale research reveals the potential of implementation of an oxygen-limited autotrophic nitrification-denitrification (OLAND) system with normal nitrifying sludge as the biocatalyst for the removal of nitrogen from nitrogen-rich wastewater in one step. In a sequential batch reactor, synthetic wastewater containing 1 g of NH₄⁺-N liter¹ and minerals was treated. Oxygen supply to the reactor was double-controlled with a pH controller and a timer. At a volumetric loading rate (B_v) of 0.13 g of NH₄⁺-N liter¹ day¹, about 22% of the fed NH₄⁺-N was converted to NO₂-N or NO₃-N, 38% remained as NH₄⁺-N, and the other 40% was removed mainly as N₂. The specific removal rate of nitrogen was on the order of 50 mg of N liter¹ day¹, corresponding to 16 mg of N g of volatile suspended solids¹ day¹. The microorganisms which catalyzed the OLAND process are assumed to be normal nitrifiers dominated by ammonium oxidizers. The loss of nitrogen in the OLAND system is presumed to occur via the oxidation of NH₄⁺ to N₂ with NO₂ as the electron acceptor. Hydroxylamine stimulated the removal of NH₄⁺ and NO₂. Hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) or an HAO-related enzyme might be responsible for the loss of nitrogen.

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^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbial Technology, State University of Ghent, Coupure links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: 0032-09-2645976. Fax: 0032-09-2646248. E-mail: Willy.Verstraete{at}rug.ac.be.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 1998, p. 4500-4506, Vol. 64, No. 11
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

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