Title
Wastewater Denitrification Using BHN-Probiotic Solutions as an Alternative External Carbon Source
Student Major/Year in School
Biological Systems Engineering, Third Year
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Prathap Parameswaran, Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering
Abstract
Wastewater Denitrification Using BHN-Probiotic Solutions as an Alternative External Carbon Source
Guadalupe Arreola, Evan Heronemus, Megan Lehman, and Dr. Prathap Parameswaran
Department of Civil Engineering
College of Engineering
Reducing the amount of Nitrogen found in wastewater is a crucial step for wastewater treatment plants, and denitrification is an essential biological step that could be rate-limiting. To reach the stringent nutrient discharge standards, treatment plants commonly use methanol as an external carbon source; however, there are many safety issues that can arise from using methanol. This problem prompted the study to find and compare other sustainable and environmentally-friendly carbon sources that could potentially be used by wastewater treatment plants as a replacement for methanol, while still maintaining low nitrogen levels. For this study five different carbon sources were evaluated: MicroC, methanol, acetate, product 201 and 203 from BHN – Probiotic Solutions ®.
Various batch denitrification tests were conducted using biomass from different wastewater treatment plants located in different climate regions. Two of the treatment plants tested are currently acclimatized to methanol, while the other has had no external carbon addition. Parameters such as pH, TSS, VSS, COD, NO2-N and NO were measured in order to examine and compare the denitrification rates of each solution. One of the candidate carbon sources achieved specific denitrification rates that were comparable to methanol or acetate, and hence identified for further testing in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Arreola, Guadalupe (2019). "Wastewater Denitrification Using BHN-Probiotic Solutions as an Alternative External Carbon Source," Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/ksuugradresearch/2019/posters/66
Wastewater Denitrification Using BHN-Probiotic Solutions as an Alternative External Carbon Source
Wastewater Denitrification Using BHN-Probiotic Solutions as an Alternative External Carbon Source
Guadalupe Arreola, Evan Heronemus, Megan Lehman, and Dr. Prathap Parameswaran
Department of Civil Engineering
College of Engineering
Reducing the amount of Nitrogen found in wastewater is a crucial step for wastewater treatment plants, and denitrification is an essential biological step that could be rate-limiting. To reach the stringent nutrient discharge standards, treatment plants commonly use methanol as an external carbon source; however, there are many safety issues that can arise from using methanol. This problem prompted the study to find and compare other sustainable and environmentally-friendly carbon sources that could potentially be used by wastewater treatment plants as a replacement for methanol, while still maintaining low nitrogen levels. For this study five different carbon sources were evaluated: MicroC, methanol, acetate, product 201 and 203 from BHN – Probiotic Solutions ®.
Various batch denitrification tests were conducted using biomass from different wastewater treatment plants located in different climate regions. Two of the treatment plants tested are currently acclimatized to methanol, while the other has had no external carbon addition. Parameters such as pH, TSS, VSS, COD, NO2-N and NO were measured in order to examine and compare the denitrification rates of each solution. One of the candidate carbon sources achieved specific denitrification rates that were comparable to methanol or acetate, and hence identified for further testing in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant.
