cleanings can be performed either as a preventive maintenance op-
eration to maintain permeate flux [through incorporating chemical
cleanings into regular physical cleaning processes, for example
chemically enhanced backwashes (CEBs)], or as a recovery oper-
ation to recover membrane flux from a severely fouled membrane
module (Ramos et al. 2014). Chemically enhanced backwashes
combine conventional physical backwashing with chemical clean-
ing in one process, which could be of high importance for the
design and operation of membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems
for wastewater treatment. Recent studies using CEBs have typically
been performed at long intervals (weekly or monthly cleaning proc-
esses) (Zhou et al. 2014). There have been few comparative studies
on different cleaning methods and conditions, and scant informa-
tion exists on CEBs, in general, in the literature (Ramos et al. 2014;
Zhou et al. 2014). Snowdon et al. (2018) observed that one 60 s
CEB every 24 h resulted in increased permeate flux, operational
permeability, and net flux, demonstrating CEBs’ effectiveness as
a preventive maintenance operation.
This research project compared the efficiency of two different
chemical cleaning processes applied to one membrane module
integrated within a continuously operated pilot-scale AnMBR sys-
tem. The two chemical cleaning processes were applied to the
membrane module only once it was severely fouled, acting as a
recovery operation. As a secondary objective, the project investi-
gated the impact of daily CEBs on the effectiveness of each
chemical cleaning process. The novel pilot-scale AnMBR system
consisted of a 1,000 L anaerobic continuously stirred tank reactor
(CSTR) integrated with an external nanofiltration tubular mem-
brane module. The reactor and membrane configuration provided
benefits over conventional cleaning processes in that the membrane
module did not need to be removed for chemical cleanings (since it
could be isolated from the CSTR through a recirculation loop). This
resulted in minimal downtime and maintenance work required for
chemical cleaning processes. With few direct comparative studies
on different chemical cleanings applied to the same membrane
module, and little information in the literature on CEBs, there
Fig. 1. Simplified PFD of experimental setup.
© ASCE 04019018-2
J. Environ. Eng., 2019, 145(5): 04019018
are, to the authors’ best knowledge, no studies investigating the
impact of daily CEBs on the effectiveness of chemical cleaning
processes.
Materials and Methods
Reactor Configuration
A 1,000 L stainless steel anaerobic CSTR was equipped with an
external nanofiltration tubular membrane module and operated in
cross-flow mode. A simplified process flow diagram (PFD) of the
configuration may be viewed in Fig. 1. The anaerobic CSTR was
equipped with a heat wrap, which maintained the reactor temper-
ature at an average value of 36.2°C (
0.5°C) throughout the dura-
tion of the study. The operational temperature of approximately
36°C was selected since it is the upper limit of mesophilic anaerobic
digestion (25°C–35°C) and maximized biogas generation, which
was desired (Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. 1991).
Reactor-mixed liquor was continuously recirculated from the
CSTR to the membrane module and back into the CSTR by a pro-
gressive cavity pump (Nemo, New Brunswick, Canada). This pump
maintained a mixed-liquor flow rate of 6,000 L=h, which resulted
in the targeted membrane surface cross-flow velocity of 2.5 m=s
and a complete recirculation of reactor contents every 10 min.
A cross-flow velocity of 2.5 m=s was selected since it is deemed
to be the minimum operational cross-flow velocity that must be
maintained for the membrane module based on manufacturer rec-
ommendations. It was desired to operate at the lower spectrum of
the operational cross-flow velocity to minimize energy demands.
The membrane module was cylindrical in shape, composed of poly-
vinylidene fluoride (PVDF), with an outer diameter of 50 mm and
a total length of 1.436 m. The module contained 13 tubular mem-
brane channels, each 8 mm in diameter, which resulted in a total
membrane area of 0.42 m2 . The membrane surfaces had a mean
pore size of 30 nm.
J. Environ. Eng.
 When mixed liquor flowing through the recirculation line
entered the membrane module, a pressure gradient generated from
a peristaltic pump (Masterflex, Ontario, Canada) instantaneously
and continuously filtered a portion of the mixed liquor through the
pores of the membrane generating filtrate, which will henceforth
be referred to as permeate. The permeate flow direction was con-
trolled by two solenoid valves. For forward filtration, the permeate
flowed through the permeate recycle line back into the CSTR. The
solenoid valves would flip every 15 min and a secondary peristaltic
pump (Masterflex, Ontario, Canada) would force a portion of the
permeate into a secondary holding tank, where it would exit as ef-
fluent or be recycled for backwashing processes. The backwashes
would occur every 30 min, again controlled by the solenoid valves
and secondary pump. For CEBs, a mixed solution of 2,600 ppm
sodium hydroxide and 2,600 ppm sodium hypochlorite was in-
jected into the permeate backwash just prior to entering the mem-
brane module (at a ratio of 80% permeate and 20% chemical
solution), creating an approximate concentration of 520 ppm so-
dium hydroxide and 520 ppm sodium hypochlorite entering the
membrane module. The chemical concentrations used for CEBs
were recommended by the membrane manufacturer based on past
performance data.
Waste anaerobic sludge was pumped out of the reactor on a
2-h cycle. Every 2 h a peristaltic pump (Masterflex, Ontario,
Canada) would pump mixed liquor from the base of the CSTR out
of the reactor as waste sludge. The specific flow rate of the waste
sludge was adjusted to maintain reactor-mixed liquor suspended
solids (MLSS) concentration at the desired level of approximately
19–21 g=L.
Biogas exited the CSTR through a gas trap at the top of the
reactor and passed into a plastic gas collection bag, where the flow
of biogas was regulated. The regulated outflow of biogas moved
through a mass-flow meter (AALBORG, Orangeburg, New York),
where its total mass was measured and logged, before exiting the
system. The mass-flow meter was calibrated with a headspace
gas having a composition of 70% methane gas and 30% carbon
dioxide gas.
Wastewater Characterization
The anaerobic CSTR was fed with a high-strength (average COD of
84.8
8.9 g=L) potato starch–based synthetic wastewater simulat-
ing typical food-processing industry wastewater. Snowdon et al.
(2018) provided a complete characterization of the synthetic waste-
water. The CSTR was equipped with a level gauge, and whenever
the mixed-liquor level fell below a preset threshold of 0.94 m,
an influent pump (Masterflex, Ontario, Canada) came online and
pumped wastewater into the system until the mixed-liquor level
returned to the threshold level. The daily influent flow rate was
equivalent to the sum of the effluent and waste flows, minus the
backwash flow.
Seed Sludge Characteristics
The reactor was initially seeded with granular sludge acquired
from an anaerobic digester treating a fruit-juice-processing plant
wastewater in Lassonde, Quebec, Canada. The seed sludge had
an initial total solid (TS) concentration of 23.2 g=L, total volatile
solid (TVS) concentration of 19.8 g=L, total suspended solid
(TSS) concentration of 21.4 g=L, volatile suspended solid (VSS)
concentration of 19.5 g=L, and a specific methanogenic activity
(SMA) of 0.18 g-CODCH4 =g-VSS=day. The membrane module
used throughout the duration of this study was first placed inline
171 days after initial seeding of the reactor. The consistency of the
© ASCE 04019018-3
J. Environ. Eng., 2019, 145(5): 04019018
sludge changed slightly over the course of operation (shifting from
a granular consistency to a more viscous consistency); however,
87 days after placing this membrane module inline the mixed liquor
had a TSS concentration of 21.3 g=L, a VSS concentration of
20.4 g=L, and a SMA of 0.17g-CODCH4 =g-VSS=day, making it
quite similar to the initial seed sludge in terms of sludge biomass
activity.
Analytical Methods
The COD, TSS, VSS, BOD, and total alkalinity were determined
following Standard Methods (APHA 2005). Total phosphorous
(TP), total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), phosphate-phosphorous, and
ammonia nitrogen were measured according to the HACH Water
Analysis Handbook (Hach Company 2002). The methane con-
tent of the biogas was measured using a Varian CP-3800 gas
chromatograph. The chromatograph was fitted with an Alltech
CTR 1 concentric packed column and a thermal conductivity de-
tector maintained at a constant temperature of 180°C. Helium was
used as a carrier gas operating at a flow rate of 30 mL=min. The
temperature of the injection port was set to 120°C. Biogas injec-
tions were done in triplicate, and SMA tests were conducted in
duplicate using batch studies operated at 36°C. The tests were con-
ducted in 500 mL serum bottles with a working volume of 450 mL.
The bottles were filled with reactor sludge, acetic acid as a sub-
strate, pH buffer, and mineral bases. Young and Cowan (2004)
outlined the procedures and mixed solutions used. All flow and
pressure readings were noted once daily at similar times using in-
line flow meters and pressure sensors.
Experimental Design
The experimental design was developed through applying the
pretest–posttest control group design methodology. This method-
ology demonstrated that an effect occurred only following the
change in a certain variable from control conditions (Leedy and
Ormrod 2005). Applying the pretest–posttest control group design
methodology an initial clean water flux, clean water operational
permeability (OP), mixed-liquor flux (MLF), and mixed-liquor op-
erational permeability (MLOP) were established for the membrane
module prior to its placement inline (for clean water values) and on
Day 2 of operation (for mixed-liquor values). Following a chemical
cleaning process, each of these parameters was measured and cal-
culated to identify how efficient each chemical cleaning process
was in recovering flux and OP.
A total of six chemical cleaning processes were applied to the
membrane module, and their respective cleaning conditions may be
viewed in Table 1. The two different cleaning conditions were
chosen because they offered the largest recoveries in clean water
flux and clean water OP during other membrane studies conducted
by the authors. Cleaning Processes 1 and 6 were dynamic cleanings
(with backwashing processes in place during the cleaning) and
consisted of three parts using three different chemical solutions.
Cleaning Processes 2–5 were static cleans (with no backwashing
processes in place) and consisted of one part with one chemical
solution. Through the application of each set of cleaning conditions
multiple times, repetitions were accomplished for comparison.
In Table 1, the recirculation time is the amount of time the mem-
brane module was operated in forward filtration mode during the
cleaning process. The soak time is the amount of time forward and
backward filtration was ceased, allowing the membrane module to
sit and soak in the chemical cleaning solution. The number of back-
washes and duration are the quantity and duration of backward fil-
tration periods, or backwashes, accomplished during a cycle of the
J. Environ. Eng.
Table 1. Chemical cleaning conditions
Cleaning Recirculation Soak time Number of backwashes and
process Cycle time (min) (min) duration (number and min) Chemical used
1 1 30 N/A 2 and 2 min 1% sodium hydroxide
2 N/A 20 N/A
3 30 N/A 2 and 2 min
4 30 N/A 2 and 2 min 1% citric acid
5 N/A 20 N/A
6 30 N/A 2 and 2 min
7 30 N/A 2 and 2 min 1% sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite
8 N/A 20 N/A
9 30 N/A 2 and 2 min
2 1 30 N/A N/A 1% sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite
2 N/A 60 N/A
3 30 N/A N/A
3 1 30 N/A N/A 1% sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite
2 N/A 60 N/A
3 30 N/A N/A
4 1 30 N/A N/A 1% sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite
2 N/A 60 N/A
3 30 N/A N/A
5 1 30 N/A N/A 1% sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite
2 N/A 60 N/A
3 30 N/A N/A
6 1 30 N/A 2 and 2 min 1% sodium hydroxide
2 N/A 20 N/A
3 30 N/A 2 and 2 min
4 30 N/A 2 and 2 min 1% citric acid
5 N/A 20 N/A
6 30 N/A 2 and 2 min
7 30 N/A 2 and 2 min 1% sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite
8 N/A 20 N/A
9 30 N/A 2 and 2 min

chemical cleaning process. Finally, the chemicals used outline the
exact concentration of chemical cleaning solutions applied to the
membrane module during each cleaning condition.
Clean water flux was measured by isolating the CSTR recircu-
lation line from the CSTR itself, allowing a 50-L tank to be filled
with clean water (maintained at around 30°C) and filtered through
the membrane module. Each clean water test recirculated the clean
water at five flow rates in increasing order (790, 1,580, 2,360,
3,150, and 3,940 L=h), and the resultant membrane fluxes and
TMPs were measured. Five different increasing flow rates were se-
lected to provide incremental increases in flux and TMP, reaching
the maximum flow rate of the recirculation loop at approximately
3,940 L=h. Operational permeability is defined as membrane flux
divided by instantaneous operational TMP, in other words pressure-
averaged flux, and may be defined by Eq. (1) (Hamden de Andrade
et al. 2013):
Ji
OPi ¼ ð1Þ
ΔPi
In Eq. (1), OPi is the instantaneous operational permeability
(L=m2 =h=bar), J i is the instantaneous membrane flux (L=m2 =h),
and ΔPi is the instantaneous transmembrane pressure (bar). Opera-
tional permeability was considered so that TMP could be factored
into the flux recovery analysis. Clean water recoveries were calcu-
lated by dividing the post–chemical cleaning clean water flux or
post–chemical cleaning clean water OP by the initial clean water
flux or initial OP values measured on Day 1 of operation, and then
multiplying by 100. Once the membrane module was placed back
inline for mixed-liquor recirculation, and after 24 h of recirculation
at a flow rate of 6,000 L=h, the flux and TMP of the membrane
module were also measured. These values allowed the MLF
and MLOP to be calculated. The mixed-liquor recoveries were
calculated by dividing the post–chemical cleaning MLF or post–
chemical cleaning MLOP values by the initial MLF or initial
MLOP values measured on Day 2 of operation, and then multiply-
ing by 100. Equations used to calculate clean water and mixed-
liquor recoveries are displayed in Eqs. (2) and (3), respectively:
J; OPPC
CW J;OP ð%Þ ¼ × 100 ð2Þ
J; OPo
J; OPPC
MLJ;OP ð%Þ ¼ × 100 ð3Þ
J; OPo
In Eq. (2), CW J;OP is the clean water flux or operational per-
meability recovery (%), J; OPPC is the post–membrane cleaning
clean water membrane flux or clean water operational permeability
(L=m2 =h, L=m2 =h=bar), and J, OPo is the initial clean water mem-
brane flux or clean water operational permeability (L=m2 =h,
L=m2 =h=bar). In Eq. (3), MLJ;OP is the mixed-liquor flux or opera-
tional permeability recovery (%), J; OPPC is the post–membrane
cleaning mixed-liquor membrane flux or mixed-liquor operational
permeability (L=m2 =h, L=m2 =h=bar), and J; OPo is the initial
mixed-liquor membrane flux or mixed-liquor operational per-
meability (L=m2 =h, L=m2 =h=bar).
Membrane resistance coefficients were calculated using the
resistance-in-series model [Eq. (4)]. This equation was adopted and
developed from other studies (Ruigomez et al. 2017):

© ASCE 04019018-4 J. Environ. Eng.

J. Environ. Eng., 2019, 145(5): 04019018

166 U. ABELING and C. F. SEYFRIED

removed anaerobically, hereby producing methane gas. Only the pollution finally remaining has to be
eliminated aerobically by using certain aeration energy.

Minimizin� the Eneuy Consumption

The combined anaerobic-aerobic technology is the most economical solution for as long as only the removal
of carbon compounds is concerned. With regard to the elimination of nitrogen and phosphorus, however, this
process is problematic, as no nitrogen and phosphorus removal worth mentioning takes place during the
elimination of the greater part of the carbon compounds in the anaerobic pretreatment. The BODIN ratio
decreased from 9:1 to nearly 1:1, the BOD:P ratio from 50:1 to 5:1. It is no problem to nitrify the
ammonium in the following aerobic treatment stage, but denitrification and biological phosphorus removal
are often incomplete, possibly due to the low content of organic carbon compounds. Phosphorus may be

eliminated by precipitation with lime or metal ions, whereas the chemicaVphysical methods for ammonium
elimination cause many problems with the resulting products. A total nitrification, however, as well as a
denitrification as far as possible and an effluent concentration of 1 or 2mg PIl, is prescribed in Germany for
most industrial wastewaters (alcohol and food production (pectin, potato, starch and sugar processing
industry, slaughter-houses etc.), pulp and paper industry, animal waste).

In order to achieve a total denitrification sometimes external carbon sources (methanol, acetic acid) are used
(very expensive). In practice, anaerobic pretreatment is often evaded by means of a bypass, but this causes a
lower gas production and also sometimes problems concerning the sludge composition (bulking) in the
aerobic stage.

Our investigations aimed to realize a process which enables total denitrification in spite of far-reaching
anaerobic pre-elimination. In contrast to the process which has been used so far, nitrification/denitrification
was carried out with assistance of the intermediate product nitrate. The carbon consumption amounts to only
60% in comparison with denitrification via nitrate. The essential parameter for regulating the process is the
concentration of free ammonia in the reactor (controlled by means of continuous NH4 and pH measuring).
Concentrations of 1 to 5mg NHyt inhibit the nitratation but not the nitritation.

The experiments were carried out in half-technical pilot plants for a period of three years, using the
wastewater of a potato starch factory. At the same time detailed examinations were made in laboratories
with regard to the kinetics and to the inhibition of nitrification/denitrification by NH3 and HN02. The new
process is available for all wastewaters with high ammonium concentrations and pH > 7.5, which often
cause problems concerning the inhibition of nitrogen removal dependent on high nitrite or ammonium
concentrations.

TREATMENT OF POTATO-STARCH WASTEWATER

Wastewater Production

During potato starch production, there are three partial wastewater streams with different concentrations of
COD, TKN and P. Figure 1 shows a flow diagram of potato starch production. The concentrations and
specific wastewater quantities are listed in Table 1.
 Potato-starch wastewater 167

t:----I:;;.;;;,;::;;;;�)_---__1 transport and

'---.--./ washing water

starch/potato - protein -coagulation )..-----l potato juice

juice seperation

S��t-----1 process water

Figure I. Flow diagram of potatO staJeh production

TABLE 1. Potato-Starch Production - Wastewater Characteristics and Specific volumes

washing water process water potato juice

(after protein-coagulation)

pH-Value 6 - 7 6 - 7 5 - 6
COD [mg/l] 2,000 - 4,000 4,000 - 8,000 50,000 - 60,000 (25,000 - 30,000)
TKN [mg/l] 150 - 30 150 - 600 3,600 - 4,400 (1,800 - 2,200)
tot. P [mg/l] 20 - 40 20 - 40 800 - 1,000 (400 - 500)

m3/t potatoes 0. 3 - 1.0 0.6 - 1.3 0.8 - 1.0

The washing water resulting from potato washing is recycled. The solid matter (earth, plant parts etc.) is
eliminated in a sedimentation tank, and any lost part of the water is substituted by fresh water continuously.
The longer the campaign lasts, COD and TKN concentration increases, because the potato quality decreases
for the reason of storage. The process water (starch washing water) contains the contamination component
fme starch, which cannot be gained. The main component of the high strength potato juice is protein. It goes
into a protein extraction, where about 50% of the protein is coagulated, separated, dried and packed for sale.
A still highly contaminated wastewater with 25-30g CODn remains.

Modern manufacturers use circular movement of the water during washing and starch extraction to reduce
the specific wastewater quantities to keep the values preferably in the low regions of the range in Table 1.
The application of an effective technique for starch extraction also reduces the concentrations. Anyway, in
the field of potato juice the technical limits are reached by reducing the concentration by 50% by means of
protein extraction. The wastewater percentage is also layed down by the water content of the potatoes and
changes only slightly. Table 2 shows the specific wastewater quantities and concentrations of a potato starch
factory which was opened in 1987 in Germany (Liichow). The treatment capacity amounts to 300 000
t1campaign (end August until mid March).
168 U. ABELING and C. F. SEYFRIED

TABLE 2. Specific volumes and Concentrations - Potato-Starch Factoe' Llichow

m3/t potatoes m3/h concentration [mg/l]

COD TKN tot. P .

washing-water 0.43 25 2,000 150 20

processwater 0.64 38 4,000 150 20
potato juice 0.86 50 30,000 1,700 450

I 1.93 113

Treatment Process

The biological treatment of process and washing waters poses no considerable problems. The treatment is
for example carried out in wastewater ponds or activated sludge plants (inside the factory or together with
domestic sewages). Because of the nematodes contained in the washing water (parasites of the potatoes),
agricultural utilization of sewage sludge which had not been subject to anaerobic treatment is only possible
on areas which are not used for potato cultivation.

The high contents of organic carbons and the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus in the potato juice usually
require multi-stage treatment processes. The application by rain gun of the potato which used to happen in
the past, is nowadays possible within certain limits for reasons of ground water protection. The largest
wastewater quantities are produced in the winter i.e. in the vegetationless period, and cannot be absorbed by
the plants. To reach the necessary input values, an aerobic biological treatment stage occurs. The following
processes are suitable for pretreatment:

- Membrane fIltration
- Vaporization
- Anaerobic treatment

Upgrading of the potato juice is very energy-consuming and is economical only if the final waste disposal
product is commercial in the long term. Direct utilization of the vaporization concentrate as cattle food fails
for example because of the high salt contents. The precipitation of phosphorus and ammonium (e.g.
magnesium-ammonium-phosphate) is only possible if first all organic bound nitrogen and phosphorus are
transferred to the mineral form. In these respects, the anaerobic treatment gains more and more importance.
On the one hand, the mineralization of the nutrients takes place in the anaerobic process, on the other hand
the anaerobic technique gives the possibility to reduce the COD concentration by extraction of biogas as far
as to allow an economical aerobic post-treatment. Examples of such combined anerobic-aerobic processes
are described in Nanninga and Gottschal (1986); Seyfried and Austermann-Haun (1990) and Austermann­
Haun (1990).

For the wastewater treatment of the potato starch factory built in 1987 in Llichow, an anaerobic plant has
been constructed (fixed bed circulating reactors, system KWU). The pretreated wastewater is being treated
in the new-built municipal treatment plant with biological nitrogen and phosphorus elimination to reach
recipient qUality. Figure 2 shows the process scheme of the anaerobic plant.

The washing water is led directly to the aerobic stage, while the coagulated potato juice and the process
water are subject to anaerobic pretreatment. Until now, the planned degrading percentage (nCOD 70-80%)
=

could not yet be reached, considering the space load of 20-30kg COD/m3.d. The efficiency is between 50%
and 60%. The solid matter separation (coagulated protein) after acidification causes problems. By
application of the second lamella separator, a certain improvement was achieved. Furthermore, the plant has
been extended by a buffer tank (l000m3). For the purposes of capacity extension, in 1992 the construction of
an additional anaerobic reactor (V 1800m3, fixed fIlm with plastic media) was started. This reactor was
=
 o 1
Potato-s1arCb wastewater
00 2P ..---""T'I'-r----,.---.,..---, 98
171

10 I;?, 7" 9o

III 80
I.S +---��,..-_+---+_---;
20
NH.
I I 70

II 1/-lS·C
_UJ
30·C J I _S·C 60

60
/I HNo,-N
III
O.S+---+-�r\t---+_---;
70

I Vi NHJ
20

90
1/ /" 10
�V OP�,--��--�6-���---��
8
o
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
pH pH

+ -
17 NH -N . 10PH 46 N0 -N
4 2
(mg/I) HN0 -- (mg/l)
2
= • ---

14 YKw + 10pll 14 K · 10pll

.

"t, .. ioniz.tion constant of the _i. equilibrhlD equation K

•
• •(-2,300/(273 + ·C»

•
lew Ionization constant of water ANTHONISEN ET AL. (1976)

•(6,344/273+·C)
Figure 4 . Dissociation balances NlLt+/NH3 and N02IHN02 (Nybuis, 1985).
/K
"t, w ..

The inhibition of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter by ammonia has been proved in much fundamental research
(Anthonisen, 1974; Bergeron, 1978; Neufeld et al., 1980; Nyhuis, 1985; Dombrowski, 1991; Balmelle et al.,
1992). Recently, there have appeared several speculations that - especially concerning Nitrobacter - the
inhibition is not caused by NH3' but by the intermediate product hydroxylamine (NH20H) (Yang and
Alleman, 1992). Here also the non-dissociated form is supposed to be responsible. Further tests referring to
this remain to be reported.

If nitrification should be reduced to the fIrSt partial step (nitritation), the activity of the Nitrobacter must be
largely reduced and the Nitrosomonas must correspondingly gain growth advantages. In several tests with
continuously operated laboratories Nyhuis (1985) could prove that Nitrosomonas (NH4 � NOV and
Nitrobacter (N02 � N03 ) show different reactions on ammonia and nitric acid. The sensibility of
Nitrobacter vis-a.-vis ammonia is much bigger than the substrate inhibition of Nitrosomonas. Nyhuis found
for Nitrobacter an inhibition even from 1 mg/l NH3 onwards; over 10 mg/l there was no more growth.
Nitrosomonas was inhibited only at concentrations of 40 mg/l onwards. Theoretically, at an ammonia
concentration of 10 mg NHyt in the aerobic tank the nitratation should be completely inhibited, while the
nitritation happens at maximal rate. The tests described hereafter were carried out to fix the inhibition limits
in continuous operation, and above all to find out whether both processes can be completely decoupled.

EJij!!<rlmental units

Two plants had been operated in parallel each with one anoxic and one aerobic reactor. In the first plant a
complete nitrification/denitrification with nitrate had been carried out. The arrangement of the second plant
is shown in Figure 5. In the aerobic reactor the pH value was controlled by means of a NaOH dosage and
regulated to pH 8.2-8.4. Furthermore the content of ammonium was controlled by means of regulation of the
oxygen supply. The nitrification tanks in unit 2 were filled with plastic media (Fa. NSW AG) with a specific
surface of 150m2 /m3 . As residual concentrations of ammonium and nitrite occur due to this kind of system,
 172 U. ABELING and C. F. SEYFRIED

a secondary treatment reactor was unstalled for residual nitrification and nitratation. The pH value was
regulated here to pH 7.0-7.5. The dimensions of the plants and the operation parameters are listed in Table 4.

TABLE 4. Design and Operation Parameters

plant 1 p1 ant 2
nitrific. denitrific. nitritation
denitritation

volume [1] 300 224 380 340

Vdeni/Vtot [-] 0.43 0.47
flow [l/d] 96 120
recycle [%] 1,070 1,210
max. eff. of denio [%] 91.5 92.4
pH 7.4 7.6 8.3 8.5
temperature [DC] 20 20
sludge loading (oeni) 0.10 0.11
[kg BODS/kg MLSS·d ]

Denitrification Nitritation intermediate Nitratation

N02 .. N2. fixed film reactor settling tank fixed film reactor
NH4" N02 N02" N03

return sludge
�
r------------�--l
I Recycle
I
I I
I

,.-1-,
influent I \ effluent
t---+
effluent

\......_�I
=

Anaerobic
reactor

f-;L,,,!
, .
. --------------_ .
•

�t:::: :::
...
...

PC
-

Figure 5. Flow diagram of the pilot plant for nitritationlnitratation

Characterization of the wastewater

The anaerobic pilot plants were fed with pretreated wastewater from the potato starch production. The
anaerobic pretreatment was carried out so that extensively there was a lack of organic carbon for the
denitratation as well as for the denitritation. The average values of the concentrations in the inlet to as well
as in the outlet from the anaerobic pretreatment can be taken from Table 5.
 Potato-starch wastewater 173

TABLE 5. Chemical Characterization of Potato Starch Wastewater

COD BDD
S
organic TKN NH -N
4
N�-N Tot P SS BDD ITKN
S
CDD/TKN
acids
[mslll [-l [-l

ra.. wastewater 17,000 10,000 870 150 190 11.5 19.5

anaerobic effl. 1,600 700 500 820 730 10 180 1,000 0.85 1.95

CQntrol 2f the DitritaUIlD

Both plants were started with nitrifying sludge from the aerobic stage of the large-scale. The inhibition of
the nitritation was planned to be achieved in the second plant by increasing the pH value. According to the
basic research work by Anthonisen (1974), each of the non-ionized forms of the ammonium and of the
nitrite have - as ammonia (NH3) and as nitrous acid (HNOz) - an inhibition effect on the Nitrosomonas and
the Nitrobacter. The Nitrobacter react more sensitively so that the concentrations in the range O. I to 1.0 mg
NH� are sufficient for starting an inhibition. The dissociation balance for ammonium-ammonia is
dependent on the temperature and on the pH value (Fig. 4.). At the pH value of 8.3 and a temperature of
20DC, 7.3% of the ammonium are present as ammonia. A concentration of 20 mg/l NH4-NIl in the reactor
thus produces an ammonia concentration of 1.8 mg NH31l.

The adjustment of the pH value was effected by means of a computer controlled dosage of soda solution
(NaOH). The fluctuation range amounted to ± O. I pH. As the content of ammonia at a constant pH value is
dependent on the altitude of the ammonia concentration in the reactor, and as this fluctuated, a pH control
alone is not sufficient. At a total nitrification the ammonia concentration is equal to zero, anyhow, due to
lack of ammonium in the reactor. This is the reason why also the content of ammonium had been adjusted
by computer-controlled aeration in order to achieve a constant concentration of ammonia. The measurement
was carried out with the help of a continuous NH4 analyzer (Bran & Liibbe). The temperature remained
constant during the measurement phases, which is important because the inhibiting effect of decreasing
temperatures is greater for Nitrobacter than for Nitrosomonas (Randall and Buth, 1984). Hence, nitrite
accumulation is possible due to lack of temperature control.

Nitrification

Inboth plants a complete nitrification respectively, and nitritation at space loadings of 0.3 kg NH4-N/m 3.d
could be reached. Thus, nitrification by means of nitrite with equal COD value in the influent has no
advantages as far as the required nitrification volume is concerned, because the necessary sludge age is the
same in both cases. Anyway, there is need of only 75% of the oxygen for complete nitrification.

As ammonia in higher concentrations also has an inhibiting influence on Nitrosomonas, several tests were
carried out to fmd out the influence of ammonia concentration on nitritation rate. Figure 6 shows the results.
Contrary to other authors, who analyzed much higher inhibition limits, a reduction was stated of the
nitritation rate from 7 mg/l NH3 onwards (Hyhuis, 1985: 40-200 mg NH� Anthonisen, 1974: 10-150 mg
NH�). Neufeld (1980) also found the start of inhibition to be from 10 mg NH� onwards.
The curve of nitritation rate follows an enlarged Haldane function (Eq.1), which - in addition - considers
the HNOrconcentration as non-competitive inhibition.
 Potato-slarch wastewater 175

Nitrogen removal

Both pilot plants were operated under substrate limited conditions in order to guarantee a direct
comparability of denitrification results over nitrite and nitrate. Furthermore, the maximum possible
denitrification was limited to 92% by the recycle water quantity. To reach low nitrate effluent concentrations
at high influent concentrations, a simultaneous/intermitting denitrification process should be chosen.
Otherwise, a very high recycle rate is required.

In Table 6, the average results of nitrogen elimination over nitrite and nitrate are shown. It shows that by
means of nitrite a considerably higher elimination rate can be achieved. It must be take into account that
both processes were substrate-limited. With sufficient substrate supply, with plant 2 there can be achieved
effluent rates from about 60 mg N03-Nn (maximum possible value depending on recycle water quantity);
meanwhile in plant I at equal substrate supply the effluent concentration would be come up to 330 mg
N03-Nn.

TABLE 6. Results - Nitro!:en Remoyal - Ayera" values <April-June 1991)

influent effluent
plant plant 2
nitritation nitratation

COO [mg/l] 1,600 80.0 90.0 70.0

TKN [mg/l] 820 3.0 23.6 3.2
NH4-N [mg/l] 750 1.0 20.0 1.2
N0 2-N [mg/l] 0.5 21.6 0.6
r
NO N [mg/l] 10 348.0 63.4 102.3
ef ect of
N-elimination [%] 57.1 86.8 87.1
effect of
denitrification [%] 59.6 95.9
COOt NOx-N [-] 3.63 2.28
- 63 % of plant 1

As already mentioned, according to the results of the batch test, a complete decoupling of nitritation is not
possible (Figure 4). Anyway, the COD consumption in the process over nitrite compared to over nitrate
came to only 63% in the semi-technical tests, which means only a little margin to the 60% which is possible
by way of calculation (refer to Table 3). Therefore, a large separation may be supposed.

It was important to find out whether the improved elimination results of plant 2 were possibly due to strip­
effects in the activation; hence a balance-sheet of the basins was established. Independent of the pH value,
wrong amounts of ± 7% resulted from this (Abeling and Seyfried, 1992). Thus, considerable nitrogen
elimination by means of stripping of ammonia can be excluded.

CONCLUSIONS

The example of potato starch wastewater was showed that wastewaters with high nitrogen concentrations
and an unfavourable CODIN ratio < 3.5 can be completely cleaned and made operational with the
nitrification/denitrification process. 37% of the carbon can be saved, compared to the conventional nitrogen
elimination over nitrite. With the help of anaerobic pretreatment, this carbon can be transferred to methane,
which contributes to optimization of the anaerobic-aerobic process from an economical point of view. The
operating costs are reduced by about 20%, and in total there are lower investment costs (tank volumes,
sludge treatment, aeration).

In order to achieve low nitrate effluent concentrations at high nitrogen concentrations, a simultaneous
denitrificatiuon process is recommended. The process must be two-staged because oxidation of the
176 U. ABELINO and C. F. SEYFRIED

remaining nitrite and ammonia concentrations is required. The process is controlled by continuous pH value
and ammonium measurements.

As the pH value must be increased to 8-8.5, the process is suitable above all for wastewaters which are
located in this pH value range. On the one hand, often undesired nitrite upgradings appear which cause
considerable operation break-downs, but with a specific decoupling of nitritation from nitratation, this can
be avoided.

RFERENCES
Abeling, U. and Seyfried, C. F. (1992) Anaerobic-areobic treatment of high-strength ammonium wastewater - nitrogen removal
via nitrite. Wilt. Sci. Techn., 26, No. 5-6, 1007-1015
Anthonisen, A. C. (1974) The effects of the free ammonia and free nitrous acid on the nitrification process. Ph.D. Thesis, Cornell
University, Engineering, agriCUltural
Anthonisen, A. C., Loehr, R C., Prakasam, T. B. S. and Srinatu, E. O. (1976) Inhibition of nitrification by ammonia and nitrous
acid. J. Wat. Poilu!. Control. Fed., 48, 835-852
Austermann-Haun, U. (1990) Stiltkefabriken. Vortrag beim Lebrgang .. Abwasserbebandlung in der Erui1hrungs- und
Getrllnkeindustrie", Technische Akademie Esslingen, Ostfildern, 11JI2.10.1990
Beccari, M., Passino, R, Ramadori, R and Tandoi, V. (1983) Kinetics of dissimilatory nitrate and nitrite reduction in suspended
growth culture. J. Wat. Poilu!. Control Fed., 55, 58-64
Balmelle, B., Nguyen, K. M., Capdeville, B., Cornier, J. C. and Degiun, A. (1992) Study of factors controlling nitrite build-up in
biological processes for water nitrification. Wat. Sci. Techn., 26, No. 5-6, 1017-1025
Bergeron, P. (1978) Untersuchungen zur Kinetik der Nitriflkation. Karlsruher Berichte zur Ingenieurbiologie, Heft 12
Chen, S. K., Juaw, C. K. and Cheng, S. S. (1991) Nitrification and denitrification of high-strength ammonium and nitrite
wastewater with biofilm reactors. Wat. Sci. Tech., 23, No. 1-3, 1417-1425
Dombrowski, T. (1991) Kinetik der Nitrif1kation und Reaktionstecbnik der Stickstoffeliminierung aus hochbeIasteten Abwllssern.
Forschungsberichte VD!, Reihe 15, Nr. 87, VOl-Verlag Diisseldorf
Nanninga, H. J. and Gottschal, J. C. (1986) Anaerobic purification of wastewater from a potato-starch producing factory. Water
Res., 20, 97-103
Neufeld, R. D., Hill, A. J. and Adekoya, D. O. (1980) Phenol and free ammonia inhibition to Nitrosomonas avtivity. Wat. Res., 14,
1695-1703
Nyhnis, O. (1985) Beitrag zu den MOglichkeiten der Abwasserbehandlung bei Abwllssem mit erMhten Stickstoffkonzentrationen.
Verliffentlichungen des Institutes /fir Siedlungswasserwirtschaft und Abfalltechnik, University Hannover, FRG, 61,
Randall, C. W. and Buth, D. (1984) Nitrite build-up in activated sludge resulting from temperature effects. J. Wat. Pollut. Control
Fed., 56, 1039-1044
Seyfried, C. F. and Austermann-Haun, U. (1990) Large scale anaerobic/aerobic treatment plants for wastewaters from a molasses
distillery, pectin-factory and waste of starch factories. Wat. Sci. Techn., 22, No. In, 353-360
Tunmermans, P. and Van Haute, A. (1983) Denitrification with methanol. Hyphomicrobrium sp. Wat. Res., 17, 1249-1255
Van Versefeld, H. W., Meijer, E. M. and Stouthamer, A. H. (1977) Energy conservation during nitrate respiration in Paracoccus
denitrificans. Arch Microbiol., 112, 17-23
Yang, L. and Alleman, J. E. (1992) Investigation of batchwise nitrite build-up by enriched nitrification culture. Wat. Sci. Techn.
26, No. 5-6, 997-1005
Reproduced with permission of copyright
owner. Further reproduction prohibited
without permission.
 F. Béline et al. / Bioresource Technology 98 (2007) 3298–3308 3299

Nomenclature

SNH NHþ 4 þ NH3 nitrogen (g N m )

3
SS readily biodegradable organic matter (g O2 m3)
SND soluble biodegradable organic nitrogen XS slowly biodegradable organic matter (g O2 m3)
(g N m3) SI soluble inert organic matter (g O2 m3)
XND particulate biodegradable organic nitrogen XI particulate inert organic matter (g O2 m3)
(g N m3) XBH active heterotrophic biomass (g O2 m3)
XNI particulate inert organic nitrogen (g N m3) XBAI active NHþ 3
4 oxidisers biomass (g O2 m )
SNOI NO 3
2 nitrogen (g N m ) XBAA 
active NO2 oxidisers biomass (g O2 m ) 3

SNOA NO3 nitrogen (g N m3) XP particulate inert organic matter from biomass
SO oxygen (g O2 m3) decay (g O2 m3)

wastewater, a model allows to quickly screen many poten- chemical oxygen demand (COD) hydrolysis could signifi-
tial design and management alternatives. cantly affect the denitrification.
For the evaluation and the optimization of the treat- The objective of this work was to develop and to cali-
ment of urban wastewaters, various models have been brate a mathematical model for the simulation of the mod-
developed and edited by the IWA task group (Henze ified SBR, treating piggery wastewaters. First, an analysis
et al., 1987), such as the activated sludge models (ASM). of the processes involved in nitrogen removal was carried
These models are largely used for domestic sewage but out based on the experimental results. Then, a mathemati-
the modelling is overlooked in the treatment of livestock cal model was built and calibrated using the experimental
wastes and industrial effluents (Orhon, 1998). The available data.
activated sludge models were specifically designed and cal-
ibrated for urban wastewater treatment, and therefore, the 2. Methods
extension of such models to more concentrated influents
such as piggery wastewaters, appears particularly interest- 2.1. Description of the pilot-scale reactor
ing but requires specific experiments and research.
In contrast to the domestic sewage, a very limited A pilot-scale modified SBR was built for the experimen-
amount of data on the kinetic and stoichiometric processes tal study of the treatment of piggery wastewaters. A simpli-
and on the influent fractionation are available for piggery fied scheme of this pilot plant is shown in Fig. 1. The
wastewaters (Andreottola et al., 1997). The ASM models modified SBR consists of a succession of cycles, during
describe the processes of nitrification and denitrification which the aerobic and anoxic phases alternate. Before the
as one-step processes. However, nitrogen removal for con- biological treatment in the reactor, the piggery wastewaters
centrated wastewaters, as the piggery wastewaters, might were stored at 4 C. At the beginning of each cycle, a
result in the inhibition of nitrification by free ammonia
and nitrous acid (Anthonisen et al., 1976), and nitrification
might be limited by the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentra-
tion (Wiesmann, 1994). Therefore, the simplified assump-
tion, used in the ASM models, is no longer applicable
for the description of nitrogen removal processes in this
case. In fact, the free ammonia inhibition and/or the
nitrous acid inhibition and/or the dissolved oxygen limita-
tion frequently lead to nitrite accumulation. High temper-
atures can also lead to nitrite accumulation (Hellinga
et al., 1998). Consequently, more sophisticated model
assumptions are required for an adequate description of
the system efficiency. In this case, each process must
be described as a two-step process including nitrite as
intermediate (Andreottola et al., 1997). Moreover, some
authors studied and compared the heterotrophic yields
under aerobic and anoxic conditions (Gujer et al., 1999;
Orhon et al., 1996; Boursier et al., 2004). The observed
lower anoxic heterotrophic yield leads to a lower COD to Fig. 1. Scheme of the pilot, treating piggery wastewaters: (1) storage tank
(500 l), (2) buffer tank and weighing system, (3) reactor (100–110 l), (4)
NO 3  N ratio for the denitrification. That is more partic- foam breaker, (5) mixing system, (6) fine bubbles diffuser, (7) pH, ORP,
ularly important for the wastewaters with high N concen- DO and temperature sensors, (8) system for water addition, (9) gas flow
tration where the kinetics and the stoichiometry of the meter and (10) withdrawal and weighing system.
3300 F. Béline et al. / Bioresource Technology 98 (2007) 3298–3308

known amount of piggery wastewater was added in the the reactor reached steady-state conditions (after more
reactor through a buffer tank where the quantity added than three hydraulic residence times), the characterisation
was weighed and recorded. The reactor was equipped with of the effluent was done (COD, soluble COD and total
a foam breaker working during the aerobic phases and a nitrogen) and was followed by a study of the evolution
fine bubbles diffuser fed with a compressor (2–5 m3 h1). of NHþ  
4 , NO2 and NO3 in the reactor, during one
For the mixing, a centrifugal pump (30 m3 h1) circulated cycle.
the activated sludge, during the anoxic phases from the Immediately after run 1, a second study of the evolution
 
bottom to the top of the reactor. Water was continuously of NHþ 4 , NO2 and NO3 , during one cycle, was performed
added in the reactor (65 l per day) to compensate for the (run 2). At the beginning of this cycle, 1 l of ammonium
evaporation caused by the high temperature and the aera- carbonate solution (13.5 kg N m3) was added in the reac-
tion. At the end of each cycle, an amount of the activated tor during the feeding phase, together with the piggery
sludge equal to the piggery wastewater added at the begin- wastewater (PW1). For this experiment, the other experi-
ning of the cycle was withdrawn from the reactor. The bio- mental conditions were similar to run 1.
logical reactor was equipped with on-line measurements of For run 3, as for run 1, the reactor was initially filled
DO (WTW Oxi197 oxygen meter), temperature (Ponselle with 50 l of activated sludge coming from the same farm
PONAPF-TTRANS), oxidation–reduction potential (Pon- and 50 l of tap water. About 600 l of raw piggery waste-
selle PONAPF-EHTRANS) and pH (Ponselle PONAPF- water was collected in an experimental farm near Rennes
PHTRANS) allowing measurements at 10 min. intervals. (France) and was mechanically sieved (1 mm) using a
The system operated without sludge recirculation nor rotary screen. The liquid fraction called piggery wastewater
decantation in the reactor, leading to a solids retention 2 (PW2) was stored at 4 C and was used for run 3. For this
time equal to the hydraulic retention time. For each exper- run, the duration of a cycle was equal to 12 h, consisting of
iment, each whole-cycle of the modified SBR was scheduled 7 h of anoxic conditions and 5 h of aerobic conditions. At
as follows: the beginning of each cycle, 4.4 l of PW2 was added in the
reactor, leading to a working volume of 104.4 l and a HRT
• a feeding phase, equal to 11.9 days. At the end of each cycle, the same
• an anoxic phase, amount of activated sludge was withdrawn. A characterisa-
• an aerobic phase, tion of the effluent (COD, soluble COD and total nitrogen)
 
• a withdrawal phase. and a study of the evolution of NHþ 4 , NO2 and NO3 dur-
ing a cycle, were performed when more than 3 hydraulic
residence times had passed.
2.2. Experimental The main characteristics of each piggery wastewater
used in this study are presented in Table 2.
During this study, three experiments were carried out
using the pilot-scale modified SBR (Table 1).
Table 2
For run 1, the reactor was filled with 50 l of activated Characteristics of the piggery wastewaters
sludge coming from a farm equipped with a modified
Variable PW1 PW2
SBR at the beginning of the experiment. The reactor
3
was supplemented with 50 l of tap water. At the same TS, kg m 54.0 (0.4) 31.1 (–)
VS, kg m3 42.5 (1.0) 20.1 (–)
time, about 600 l of raw piggery wastewaters were col-
COD, kg O2 m3 50.6 (0.3) 39.4 (1.0)
lected and were manually sieved (5 mm mesh). The liquid CODs, kg O2 m3 21.8 (0.1) 14.8 (0.4)
fraction called piggery wastewater 1 (PW1) was stored VFA, kg O2 m3 10.7 (0.2) 6.2 (–)
3
at 4 C and was used for this experiment. For this run, NHþ 4  N (or SNH), kg N m 3.0 (0.1) 3.4 (0.1)

the duration of a whole-cycle was equal to 24 h consisting NO2  N (or SNOI), kg N m3 0 0
NO 3  N (or SNOA), kg N m
3
0 0
of 4 h of anoxic conditions and 20 h of aerobic conditions.
TN–N, kg N m3 4.6 (0.1) 4.3 (0.05)
At the beginning of each cycle, 10 l of PW1 were added SS, kg O2 m3 5.2 (0.5) 6.0 (1.0)
in the reactor, leading to a working volume of 110 l and XS, kg O2 m3 14.1 (3.6) 23.9 (1.4)
a HRT equal to 11 days. At the end of each cycle the Inert COD, kg O2 m3 31.3 (3.4) 9.5 (1.4)
same amount of activated sludge was withdrawn. When Standard errors shown in parenthesis, n = 5.

Table 1
Summary of the conditions during the three experiments carried out with the pilot-scale modified SBR
Runs PW HRT (days) P1 (h) P2 (h) P3 (h) P4 (h) Observations
1 1 11.0 0.1 3.9 19.9 0.1 Effluent characterisation and study of a cycle
2 1 11.0 0.1 3.9 19.9 0.1 Study of a cycle (ammonium carbonate was added)
3 2 11.9 0.1 6.9 4.9 0.1 Effluent characterisation and study of a cycle
PW: piggery wastewater, P1: feeding phase, P2: anoxic phase, P3: aerobic phase, P4: withdrawal phase.
3306 F. Béline et al. / Bioresource Technology 98 (2007) 3298–3308

A.2. Process stoichiometry for organic matter oxidation, nitrification and denitrification

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
SI SS XI XS XBHI XBAI XBAA XP SO SNOI SNOA SNH SND XND XNI
1 ð1Y H Þ
q1 YH 1 YH  iBN

1 1Y HD
q2 Y HD 1  1:71Y HD
 iBN

1 1Y HD 1Y HD
q3 Y HD 1  1:14Y HD
 1:14Y HD
iBN

q4 1  3:43Y
Y AI
AI 1
Y AI iBN  Y1AI

q5 1  1:14Y
Y AA
AA
 Y 1AA 1
Y AA iBN
q6 1  fP 1 fP iBN  fP fP Æ iBN
Æ iBN
q7 1  fP 1 fP iBN  fP fP Æ iBN
Æ iBN
q8 1  fP 1 fP iBN  fP fP Æ iBN
Æ iBN
q9 1 1
q10 1 1
q11 1 1

A.3. Default values at 20 C for the model and parameters used for simulating run 1, 2 and 3 (-: default value was used)

Symbol Definition Default Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Ref.

value
YH Aerobic yield heterotrophic 0.6 – – – Boursier et al. (2004)
biomass (g COD g COD1)
YHD Anoxic yield heterotrophic 0.53 – – – Boursier et al. (2004)
biomass (g COD g COD1)
lH Maximum specific growth rate for 6 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
heterotrophic biomass (day1)
bH Decay coefficient for heterotrophic 0.62 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
biomass (day1)
KS SS half-saturation coefficient for 20 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
heterotrophic biomass (g COD m3)
KOH SO half-saturation coefficient for XBH 0.2 0.05 0.05 0.05 Henze et al. (2000)
(g COD m3)
KNH SNH half-saturation coefficient 0.05 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
for biomass (g N m3)
KNOI SNOI half-saturation coefficient for XBH 0.5 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
under anoxic conditions (g N m3)
KNOA SNOA half-saturation coefficient for 0.5 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
under anoxic conditions (g N m3)
gG Correction factor for lH under anoxic 0.8 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
condition (dimensionless)
gH Correction factor for hydrolysis under 0.4 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
anoxic condition (dimensionless)
KH Maximum specific hydrolysis rate 3 25 25 6 Boursier et al. (2004)
(g COD (g COD day)1)
KA Ammonification rate 0.08 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
(m3 COD (g day)1)
(continued on next page)
 F. Béline et al. / Bioresource Technology 98 (2007) 3298–3308 3307

Appendix (continued)
Symbol Definition Default Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Ref.
value
fp Fraction of biomass leading to inert 0.08 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
particulate products (dimensionless)
iBN Mass of nitrogen per mass of 0.086 – – – Henze et al. (2000)
COD (g N g COD1)
YAI Yield for NHþ 4 oxidisers autotrophic 0.15 – – – Hao et al. (2002b);
biomass (g COD g N1) Hao et al. (2002a)
lAI Maximum specific growth rate for NHþ 4 0.8 – – – Hao et al. (2002b);
oxidisers autotrophic biomass (day1) Hao et al. (2002a)
bAI Decay coefficient for XBAI autotrophic 0.05 – – – Hao et al. (2002b);
biomass (day1) Hao et al. (2002a)
KOAI SO half-saturation coefficient for XBAI 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.3 Hao et al. (2002b);
biomass (g COD m3) Hao et al. (2002a)
KNAI SNH half-saturation coefficient for XBAI 2.4 5 5 5 Hao et al. (2002b);
biomass (g N m3) Hao et al. (2002a)
YAA Yield for NO 2 oxidisers autotrophic 0.041 – – – Hao et al. (2002b);
biomass (g COD g N1) Hao et al. (2002a)
lAA Maximum specific growth rate for NO 2 0.79 – – – Hao et al. (2002b);
oxidisers autotrophic biomass (day1) Hao et al. (2002a)
bAA Decay coefficient for XBAA autotrophic 0.033 – – – Hao et al. (2002b);
biomass (day1) Hao et al. (2002a)
KOAA SO half-saturation coefficient for XBAA 2.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 Hao et al. (2002b);
biomass (g COD m3) Hao et al. (2002a)
KNAA SNOI half-saturation coefficient for XBAA 5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Hao et al. (2002b);
biomass (g N m3) Hao et al. (2002a)

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