Influence of Strong Diurnal Variations in Sewage Quality  on the Performance of Biological Denitrification in Small Community Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)

Raboni, Massimo; Torretta, Vincenzo; Urbini, Giordano

doi:10.3390/su5093679

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Strong Diurnal Variations in Sewage Quality on the Performance of Biological Denitrification in Small Community Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)

by

Massimo Raboni

,

Vincenzo Torretta

^*

and

Giordano Urbini

Department of Science and High Technology, Insubria University, Via G.B. Vico 46, Varese I-21100, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sustainability 2013, 5(9), 3679-3689; https://doi.org/10.3390/su5093679

Submission received: 10 July 2013 / Revised: 11 August 2013 / Accepted: 19 August 2013 / Published: 28 August 2013

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Abstract

:

The great diurnal variation in the quality of wastewater of small communities is an obstacle to the efficient removal of high nitrogen with traditional activated sludge processes provided by pre-denitrification. To verify this problem, the authors developed a pilot plant, in which the domestic wastewater of community of 15,000 inhabitants was treated. The results demonstrate that average and peak nitrogen removal efficiencies of over 60% and 70%, respectively, are difficult to obtain because of the strong variations in the BOD₅/NO₃-N ratios and the unexpected abnormal accumulation of dissolved oxygen during denitrification when the BOD₅ load is low. These phenomena cause inhibitory effects and BOD₅ deficiency in the denitrification process. The results demonstrate the need for a more complex approach to designing and managing small wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) provided with denitrification than those usually adopted for medium- and large-size plants.

Keywords:

denitrification; flow variations; pilot plant; small communities; TKN

1. Introduction

The influence of variations in sewage quality on the WWTP performance of biological processes has been studied since the 70s. Of particular interest are [1], which shows how to upgrade plants in order to achieve fluctuation control, and [2], in which more cautious design criteria are recommended for WWTPs serving small communities. With specific reference to the effects on biological denitrification, the scientific literature provides abundant information on nitrogen removal [3,4,5,6,7], but rarely refers to small WWTPs. The effects of raw sewage C/N ratio variations in small community WWTPs are highlighted in [8,9,10], which also show the possible negative side effects of dissolved oxygen accumulation in the denitrification stage. In addition, in 2006, in a Life project, the EU emphasized the effects of sharp fluctuations in the quality of raw sewage on the efficiency of biological processes [11].

There are several studies concerning new technologies for improving existing WWTPs [12,13,14,15,16]. However, the choice of the appropriate upgrading strategy first needs to focus on the causes of the poor efficiency of WWTPs. Such a general concept has specific relevance for the denitrification applied to small community sewage treatments [17,18]. In fact, the raw sewage of small communities is characterized by great variations in flow rates and quality, which affect the entire treatment. This is particularly significant for biological denitrification, where the typical removal efficiency achieved in medium-large activated sludge plants without primary sedimentation (about 90%) is very difficult to obtain. We found denitrification yields of 60%–80% in several operating plants serving 5,000–20,000 inhabitants.

An inadequate nitrogen removal efficiency (as well as other nutrients and micropollutants [19,20,21,22]) can impact negatively on sensitive river bodies (e.g., the Po river in northern Italy), thus compromising water pollution reduction policies and related risk communication campaigns addressed at the population [23,24].

This paper deals with the influence of the great diurnal variation in sewage quality on the denitrification performance of a WWTP serving a community of 15,000 inhabitants in the Po river basin. An experimental study on a pilot plant was carried out, monitoring both influent and effluent main parameters through both daytime single and continuous samplings.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Pilot Plant Description

The study was based on the use of an activated sludge pilot plant (Figure 1) with biological pre-denitrification (DEN), an oxidation-nitrification (OX-NIT) stage and a final sedimentation (SED). Raw sewage pre-treatments are based on screening as well as grit and fat removal, followed by an aeration chamber. Aeration of DEN and OX-NIT stages are guaranteed, respectively, by four slow vertical-axis mixers (power input: 11 W·m⁻³) and a micro-bubble aeration system.

Figure 1. Pilot plant layout.

The features of the pilot plant are:

Pre-denitrification (DEN) tank: volume 10 m³; liquid height 1.8 m;
Biological oxidation-nitrification (OX-NIT) tank: volume 20 m³; liquid height 1.8 m;
Final sedimentation (SED): diameter 2 m; volume 6 m³;
Sewage flow rate, Q = 1.5 m³·h⁻¹;
Mixed-liquor recycle rate, Q_ml = 4 Q = 6 m³·h⁻¹;
Sludge recycle rate, q = Q = 1.5 m³·h⁻¹.

2.2. Pilot Plant Operating Conditions and Testing Methods

2.2.1. Operating Conditions and Samplings

The pilot plant ran for a continuous period of seven months, providing operating controls and analysis for 90 days consecutively under the operating conditions listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Operating conditions.

**Table 1.** Operating conditions.
Parameter	Unit	Value
Overall biological process (DEN + OX-NIT) sludge load	kg BOD₅·d⁻¹·kg⁻¹ VSS	0.068
Overall biological process (DEN + OX-NIT) sludge load	kg BOD₅·d⁻¹·kg⁻¹ SS	0.043
Denitrification (DEN) load	kg BOD₅·d⁻¹·kg⁻¹ VSS	0.204
Denitrification (DEN) load	kg BOD₅·d⁻¹·kg⁻¹ SS	0.129
DEN retention time (for the whole inlet flowrate, Q + q + Q_ml)	h	1.11
OX-NIT retention time (for the whole inlet flowrate, Q + q + Q_ml)	h	2.22
DEN + OX-NIT retention time (for the whole inlet flowrate, Q + q + Q_ml)	h	3.33
Mixed-liquor temperature	°C	15

The average mixed liquor solid concentration and the VSS/SS ratio were, respectively, 2.2 kg VSS·m⁻³ and 0.63.

In order to assess the effects of quality variations in daytime raw sewage on the denitrification efficiency, two types of sampling were performed:

Automatic daily average samplings of the raw wastewater and the treated effluent;
Manual instantaneous samplings (at 8 AM, 12 AM and 4 PM respectively) at the input and the output of the denitrification reactor as well as on the treated effluent.

For each of the described locations, a total of 80 automatic and 360 manual samples were taken.

Half way through the study, a supplemental carbon source (130 mg·L⁻¹, as glucose solution) was added to the raw sewage in order to evaluate the effect of the increased BOD₅/NO₃-N ratio on the denitrification performance.

2.2.2. Testing Methods

PH, COD, BOD₅ NO₃-N, NH₄-N, TN were sampled and analyzed following official Italian methods [25] while the mixed-liquor temperature of , dissolved oxygen in DEN and in OX-NIT stages, SS and VSS in the mixed-liquor as well as sludge volume index were analyzed with standard methods [7].

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Raw Sewage Quality

3.1.1. Mean Values

Mean and standard deviations of the raw sewage main parameters (COD, BOD₅ and TN = TKN) are listed in Table 2.

Table 2. COD, BOD₅ and TN concentrations (means and standard deviations) of the raw sewage (subscript: in) and the treated effluent (subscript: out).

**Table 2.** COD, BOD₅ and TN concentrations (means and standard deviations) of the raw sewage (subscript: in) and the treated effluent (subscript: out).
Parameter	Unit	Sampling time (1)
Parameter	Unit	Daily average	8.00 AM	12.00 AM	4.00 PM
COD_in	[mg·L⁻¹]	226.5	89.9	372.7	324.6
COD_in	[mg·L⁻¹]	σ ± 60.1	σ ± 21.3	σ ± 135.2	σ ± 74.6
COD_out	[mg·L⁻¹]	40.5	38.0	38.8	38.8
COD_out	[mg·L⁻¹]	σ ± 18.9	σ ± 19.1	σ ± 19.8	σ ± 19.6
BOD_{5 in}	[mg·L⁻¹]	125.0	39.9	208.3	187.7
BOD_{5 in}	[mg·L⁻¹]	σ ± 45.0	σ ± 13.1	σ ± 72.0	σ ± 37.4
BOD_{5 out}	[mg·L⁻¹]	4.9	4.5	4.1	4.6
BOD_{5 out}	[mg·L⁻¹]	σ ± 1.7	σ ± 1.6	σ ± 1.6	σ ± 1.7
TN_in = TKN_in	[mg·L⁻¹]	27.7	18.0	35.6	24.5
TN_in = TKN_in	[mg·L⁻¹]	σ ± 5.4	σ ± 3.6	σ ± 7.9	σ ± 5.2
TN_out (*)	[mg·L⁻¹]	11.0	9.8	9.6	10.6
TN_out (*)	[mg·L⁻¹]	σ ± 2.7	σ ± 2.1	σ ± 1.7	σ ± 2.6

(1) Mean and standard deviation of 40 samples for each parameter.* All NO3-N because TKN detected in the effluent is always less than 0.5 mg·L⁻¹.

The results show a “low strength” influent, with a mean BOD₅ = 125 mg·L⁻¹, COD = 226.5 mg·L⁻¹ and TN = TKN = 27.8 mg·L⁻¹.

The BOD₅/TKN ratio of 4.5 is almost 10% less than the value normally expected in Italian sewage (5) [5,18,26]. The value can be explained by the presence of several old houses with septic tanks that are connected to the sewage system. The incidence of these units on sewage quality may be more, or less, significant with respect to the type (septic tanks with one or more chambers), size and maintenance criteria. When these septic tanks work normally, a BOD₅ and suspended solids reduction of about 10% and 40% is reasonable [27]. In contrast, the reduction in TKN should, in practice, be considered as zero because the nitrogen subtracted from the settled solids is then released as NH₄⁺ by the sediment fermentation. The release takes place by enzymatic hydrolysis, at a rate of 0.02–0.06 mg NH₄-N·mg⁻¹ COD [27].

Moreover, these septic tanks explain the very low mean value of the COD/BOD₅ ratio (only 1.81).

3.1.2. Daytime Variations

Table 2 shows large variations, throughout the day, of the organic parameters (COD and BOD₅) in terms of the daily average values. COD and BOD₅ peaks (occurring at 12.00 AM) are, respectively, 64.5% and 66.6% greater than the daily average values. In contrast, minimum values (occurring at 8 AM) in the COD and BOD₅ are, respectively, 60.3% and 68.1% less than the daily average values. Such variations are smaller for the TN parameter.

Figure 2 shows the trends of both the mean COD/TKN and BOD₅/TKN ratios.

Figure 2. Trends of day-time mean COD/TKN and BOD₅/TKN ratios in the raw sewage.

The lowest values occur at 8.00 AM (4.99 and 2.21, respectively), while more than fourfold higher values occur at 12.00 AM (10.47; 5.85) and 4.00 PM (13.25; 7.66).

3.2. Removal Efficiency

The data listed in Table 2 demonstrate that the efficiency in reducing COD and BOD₅ is very high, but the average removal efficiency for TN is only 60.2%.

There are no significant variations in the quality of the effluent during the day for TN because of the buffer effect of the OX-NIT volume. Under the operating conditions (listed in Table 1), a biological denitrification efficiency, η_TN, above 90% was theoretically expected (as has been the general rule since the 70s [28,29,30,31]).

It is important to highlight that the denitrification efficiency is related to the daytime BOD₅ trend and not to the BOD₅/TKN ratio. Indeed, what is relevant for biological denitrification is the BOD₅/NO₃-N ratio achieved inside the anoxic reactor. This is influenced by the BOD₅ load, associated with the raw sewage, and the NO₃-N loads, conveyed in the denitrification tank by the sludge recycle as well as the mixed-liquor recycle. The optimal value for this ratio for domestic sewage is 4 [32]. In this specific case:

Daily mean BOD₅/NO₃-N = 3.78 (40 samples);
8.00 AM BOD₅/NO₃-N = 1.35 (40 samples);
12.00 AM BOD₅/NO₃-N = 7.2 (40 samples);
4.00 PM BOD₅/NO₃-N = 5.9 (40 samples).

In practice, at the beginning of the day, the availability of carbon for denitrification is too low (the same should be for the nighttime period), but becomes very high over the course of the day, with a peak value at 12.00 AM.

This situation is reflected in the biological denitrification efficiency. Figure 3 shows the trend of the mean daily efficiency over a 90-day period. The center of the curve represents the point when a supplemental carbon source was added to verify the effects on the efficiency of the rise in BOD. The amount of supplemental carbon added was such that it would increase the BOD₅ by 75 mg·L⁻¹. Without the supplemental carbon, the denitrification efficiency varied greatly, around a mean value of 60.2%, with peak of 77.5% and minimum value of 40%. When the supplemental carbon was added, the efficiency was more stable, around a mean value of 90% (peak of 96%).

Figure 3. Trend in the mean daily denitrification efficiency.

Figure 4 shows a similar trend in the denitrification efficiency, but evaluated at different times of the day (8.00 AM, 12.00 AM, 4.00 PM) comparing the input and output of the denitrification stage alone. The manual samplings were taken from the whole flow rate entering the reactor (Q + q + Q_ml) and also at the exit, considering the short retention time. The parameter NO₃-N was analyzed to evaluate the denitrification efficiency.

Also in this case, without the supplemental carbon, the trend in the curves appears to be a direct consequence of the BOD₅/NO₃-N ratio achieved in the denitrification reactor. It clearly shows a low efficiency at 8.00 AM, whereas considerably higher values were achieved at 12.00 AM and at 4.00 PM, which are, however, still insufficient. However, when the supplemental carbon was added, the efficiency rose dramatically, even to values close to 95% (12.00 AM).

Figure 4. Trend in denitrification efficiency during the day.

Figure 5 shows the trend in the biological denitrification efficiency as a function of the BOD₅/NO₃-N ratio with and without the addition of supplemental carbon. The figure clearly shows that it is possible to achieve a stable 90% efficiency (or greater), but only with the addition of supplemental carbon, and, in any case, with BOD₅/NO₃-N ratios greater than 6. Obviously, the results expressed by this efficiency curve are related to our specific study, and, in particular, to the adverse effects of the great variations in the quality of the raw sewage on the denitrification efficiency.

Figure 5. Denitrification efficiency, as a function of the BOD₅/NO₃-N ratio in the denitrification tank (mean value and confidence interval 95%).

3.3. Effect of Dissolved Oxygen in the Denitrification Reactor

During the study, concentrations of dissolved oxygen were found in the oxidation-nitrification tank in the range 1.5–7.0 mg·L⁻¹, with lower values in the hours of greatest BOD₅ load (middle of the day), and higher values at the beginning of the morning (and night time). These concentrations were also found in the mixed-liquor recycle in denitrification. Much lower concentrations were found in the sludge recycle (0.2–1.1 mg·L⁻¹).

Significant concentrations of dissolved oxygen were also recorded in the denitrification reactor, with a mean concentration of 0.5 mg·L⁻¹ and variations in the range 0.2–1.2 mg·L⁻¹, over the course of the day. The highest values were found at 8.00 AM, and the lowest, at 12.00 AM. These concentrations are the result of the addition of oxygen by the recycles (in particular by the mixed-liquor) and the consumption by the BOD₅ loads of the sewage.

These concentrations undoubtedly have a detrimental effect on the denitrification efficiency, because of the aerobic consumption of an amount of BOD₅ and because of the inhibiting effect of the dissolved oxygen on the denitrification rate. According to the US-EPA [33], the denitrification rate is influenced by an inhibition factor represented as follows:

(1)

where:

K_c = inhibition constant of dissolved oxygen (typical value: 0.02 mg·L⁻¹)
C = concentration of dissolved oxygen in denitrification (mg·L⁻¹).

The value of the constant K_c appears to be very restrictive, to the extent that it has a significant effect on the denitrification rate with concentrations of a little over 0.02 mg·L⁻¹ of dissolved oxygen. In practice, DO inhibition on denitrification was shown with a DO concentration of 0.2 mg·L⁻¹ [34]. We are currently completing a study on the effects of iron (II) addition in the denitrification tank for both consuming dissolved oxygen, through oxidation, and precipitating phosphorus as ferric-ortophosphate.

4. Conclusions

Large variations in the quality of raw sewage, which are typical of small communities, make high biological denitrification efficiencies (η ≥ 90%) hard to achieve. With a pre-denitrification pilot plant, fed by the sewage of a community of 15,000 inhabitants, an average efficiency of 60.2% was achieved, with isolated peaks of 75%. Essentially there were two factors that affected this result:

The great variability in the BOD₅/NO₃-N ratio in the denitrification reactor, such that, at certain times of the day, there was a strong shortage of BOD₅ for denitrification (BOD₅/NO₃-N = 1.75, recorded, on average, in the early morning) and, at other times, an excess of BOD₅ with respect to the availability of NO₃-N (BOD₅/NO₃-N = 7.2 achieved, on average, in the middle of the day);
The considerable accumulation of oxygen in denitrification, mainly in the periods of lower BOD₅ input at the beginning of the day and at night time (peak values of 1.2 mg·L⁻¹) which induced inhibitory effects on the denitrification rate, which were significant at concentrations over 0.2 mg·L⁻¹.

In this specific case, there was a third factor: the presence of septic tanks in many old houses that were connected to the sewerage, which led to a reduction in the BOD₅/TKN sewage ratio, estimated at about 10%.

We found that by adding supplemental carbon, it was possible to overcome the difficulties encountered, and to achieve denitrification efficiencies of over 90%.

A practical solution could be to use an equalization tank before treatment, but exploiting a simultaneous denitrification process might also be effective. In addition, it is important to minimize the presence of dissolved oxygen in the reactor mainly through the control of dissolved oxygen in the mixed-liquor recycle.

We believe that our results also demonstrate the need for a more complex and structured approach to both the design and operation of small WWTPs provided with denitrification than those usually adopted for medium and large plants.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Raboni, M.; Torretta, V.; Urbini, G. Influence of Strong Diurnal Variations in Sewage Quality on the Performance of Biological Denitrification in Small Community Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Sustainability 2013, 5, 3679-3689. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5093679

AMA Style

Raboni M, Torretta V, Urbini G. Influence of Strong Diurnal Variations in Sewage Quality on the Performance of Biological Denitrification in Small Community Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Sustainability. 2013; 5(9):3679-3689. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5093679

Chicago/Turabian Style

Raboni, Massimo, Vincenzo Torretta, and Giordano Urbini. 2013. "Influence of Strong Diurnal Variations in Sewage Quality on the Performance of Biological Denitrification in Small Community Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)" Sustainability 5, no. 9: 3679-3689. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5093679

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