Novel and Sustainable Nitrogen Removal in Wastewater using MABR
Nutrient removal in wastewater treatment is essential for mitigating water pollution, protecting aquatic ecosystems, and meeting regulatory standards that are becoming stricter nowadays. Excess nutrients—primarily nitrogen and phosphorus—from untreated or inadequately treated wastewater can lead to environmental problems like eutrophication, which depletes oxygen in water bodies, disrupts ecosystems, and promotes the growth of harmful algal blooms.
Currently the traditional nitrogen removal processes are widely applied in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, however, often in separate tanks, which demands land and space. In addition, during the denitrification stage, additional organic compounds (e.g., acetate) need to be added to provide heterotrophic denitrifying organisms with carbon source, which increases the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) is an emerging and advanced technology for nitrogen removal, where oxygen diffuses from inside of gas permeable membranes to the bulk liquid. It is easier to control oxygen load and diffusion in MABR, which makes efficient and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification possible.
Researchers
- Yuchen Zhang