Side-Stream Nitrogen Treatment using a Membrane Aerated Biofilm Bioreactor (MABR) System: A Pilot Scale Demonstration

Municipal wastewater contains excessive nutrients, which when discharged without sufficient treatment can cause eutrophication in the receiving water bodies. Digested sludge liquor, the produce water generated from the treatment of sludge that is produced from municipal wastewater treatment plant contains high concentrations of ammonia that is toxic to aquatic biota and requires further treatment. Newer and less energy-intensive processes, such as the nitritation/anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) processes are emerging, but information on the implementation of these processes at the full-scale is limited, especially for operations under cold Canadian conditions.

In this study, we propose to employ the nitritation/anammox processes at the pilot-scale in a membrane aerate biofilm reactor (MABR) to estimate the operation strategies for ammonia-rich sludge liquor treatment. This objective will be achieved through multidisciplinary studies combining expertise in wastewater treatment, biofilm microbiology, and bioreactor development from the University of Alberta, and full-scale bioreactor design and operation from EPCOR.

Faculty Supervisor:

Yang Liu

Student:

Sen Yang

Partner:

EPCOR Water Services Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Energy

University:

University of Alberta