Achieving advanced nitrogen removal for small flow wastewater using a baffled bioreactor (BBR) with intermittent aeration

Nitrogen discharge from decentralized and onsite wastewater treatment systems, such as recirculating sand filters, stabilization ponds, and septic tanks, is an important source of groundwater and surface water contamination. This study demonstrated a simple baffled bioreactor (BBR) technology, operated with an intermittent aeration mode, that effectively removed nearly all nitrogen for small flow wastewater treatment. The BBR is characterized by an aeration zone, followed by an integrated internal settler, which automatically retains a high biomass concentration of approximately 6 g/L without using a separate sludge return device. Long-term testing results indicated that this process had reduced the chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen concentration to approximately 20 mg/L and less than 3 mg-N/L, respectively, under an operational temperature of 7.1 degrees C to 24.7 degrees C. The average effluent ammonia and nitrate concentrations were 0.75 and 0.61 mg-N/L, respectively, indicating that both nitrification and denitrification had been completed. In addition to nitrogen removal, this BBR had removed approximately 65% of the total phosphorus. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.