Effect of External Carbon Source on Municipal Wastewater at Low Temperatures

Nitrogen removal from wastewater is usually severely inhibited under low temperatures. The wastewater enrichment using an external carbon source has the influence on the stability and efficiency of the nitrification and denitrification processes during the biological wastewater treatment. This paper reports the results of the study where the effect of temperature and addition of an external carbon source on the efficiency of wastewater treatment process were investigated. Nitrification and denitrification rates were determined in the laboratory-scale treatment system, operating under low-temperature conditions, ranging from 6 up to 15 °C. Ethanol was used as an external carbon source. The addition of ethanol resulted in the increase during the nitrification rate at lower temperature (up to 71% at 6 °C and up to 11% at 15 °C). Similar tendency was observed during the denitrification process. Denitrification rate increased up to 81% at 6 °C and up to 10% at 15 °C, respectively. Nitrification rate was slightly higher compared to the denitrification rate. Two-variable model equations for calculation of an external carbon amount required were based on the experimental data and in order to reach desirable process rate at particular wastewater temperature were developed. The independency from wastewater temperature and the amount of loaded carbon explicit interdependence between nitrification and denitrification rates were observed.