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A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was used for the treatment of abattoir wastewater to produce effluent with desirable nitrogen and phosphorus levels for irrigation. The SBR cycle consisted of an anaerobic phase with wastewater feeding, a relatively short aerobic period (allowing full ammonium oxidation), a second anoxic period with feeding, followed by settling and decanting. This design of operation allowed biological nitrification and denitrification via nitrite, and therefore with reduced demand for aeration and COD for nitrogen removal. The design also allowed ammonium, rather than oxidized nitrogen, being the primary nitrogen species in the effluent. Biological phosphorus removal was also achieved, with an effluent level desirable for irrigation. A high-level of nitrite accumulation (40 mg N/L) in the reactor caused inhibition to the biological P uptake. This problem was solved through process optimization. The cycle time of the SBR was reduced, with the wastewater load per cycle also reduced, while the daily hydraulic loading maintained. This modification proved to be an effective method to ensure reliable N and P removal. N2O accumulation was measured in two experiments simulating the anoxic phase of the SBR and using nitrite and nitrate respectively as electron donors. The estimated N2O emissions for both experiments were very low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method for the simultaneous online measurement of sulfide and nitrate in wastewater is developed. A UV-VIS spectrometer was used. The sensor was calibrated by means of simultaneous online and offline measurements of sulfide and nitrate in batch tests carried out on a laboratory-scale sewer system. The developed calibration algorithm was successfully validated for both sulfide and nitrate measurement, with confidence limits of 2.7 mg S/L for total dissolved sulfide, and 7.5 mg N/L for nitrate. The online measurement of sulfide and nitrate enabled detailed evaluation of seven nitrate dosing strategies in the laboratory-scale sewer system, providing strong support to process optimisation. The dosage optimisation revealed that nitrate should be added at a location close to the point of sulfide control rather than at the beginning of a rising main, at a rate proportional to the expected hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the wastewater in the sewer section between the point of nitrate addition and the point where sulfide control is desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]