Devices, systems and methods for facilitating nutrient removal by anaerobic ammonia oxidation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9725346-B2
Application number	US-201414898340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2014
Priority date	Jun 18, 2013
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A system and method of treating wastewater having at least one undesirable biological species is provided. In accordance with embodiments, a wastewater treatment system is provided comprising a main biological treatment train including at least one first unit operation configured to perform an anaerobic ammonium oxidation process, and at least one subsystem configured to increase a concentration of anammox bacteria in the at least one first unit operation, the treatment system arranged to reduce the concentration of total nitrogen in the wastewater.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wastewater treatment system comprising:
an inlet configured to receive influent wastewater having an initial concentration of total nitrogen;
a main biological treatment train including at least one first unit operation configured to perform an anaerobic ammonium oxidation process in indirect fluid communication downstream of the inlet; and
at least one subsystem configured to increase a concentration of anammox bacteria in the at least one first unit operation, the at least one subsystem including:
a bacteria selection device constructed and arranged to separate anammox bacteria from at least one second bacteria, the bacteria selection device including a stratification column configured to stratify anammox bacteria from the at least one second bacteria, the stratification column being disposed in a biological treatment vessel of the main biological treatment train; and
a surface wasting device configured to waste the at least one second bacteria from the system,

the wastewater treatment system configured to produce an effluent having a concentration of total nitrogen that is less than the initial concentration of total nitrogen.

2. A method of treating wastewater, the method comprising:
directing the wastewater into a contact tank to produce a first mixed liquor, the wastewater having an initial concentration of total nitrogen;
directing the first mixed liquor into a first separation system to produce a solids-rich sludge and a solids-lean effluent;
introducing the solids-lean effluent into a main biological treatment train containing anammox bacteria;
increasing a concentration of anammox bacteria in the main biological treatment train by:
separating anammox bacteria from at least one second bacteria in a bacteria selection device by stratifying the anammox bacteria from the at least one second bacteria in a stratification column disposed in a biological treatment vessel of the main biological treatment train; and
wasting the at least one second bacteria from the main biological treatment train;

treating the solids-lean effluent in the main biological treatment train to produce a second mixed liquor; and
directing the second mixed liquor into a second separation system to produce a second solids-rich sludge and a second solids-lean effluent, the second solids-lean effluent having a total nitrogen concentration that is less than the initial concentration of total nitrogen.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising recycling a first portion of the second solids-rich sludge to the contact tank, and a second portion of the second solids-rich sludge to the main biological treatment train.

4. A wastewater treatment system comprising:
an inlet configured to receive influent wastewater having an initial concentration of total nitrogen;
a main biological treatment train including at least one first unit operation configured to perform an anaerobic ammonium oxidation process in indirect fluid communication downstream of the inlet; and
at least one subsystem configured to increase a concentration of anammox bacteria in the at least one first unit operation, the at least one subsystem including:
a first separator configured to separate a mixed liquor produced in a contact tank having an inlet fluidly connected to a source of the wastewater into a solids-lean portion and a solids rich portion and to direct the solids-rich portion into an inlet of an anaerobic digester having a digested sludge outlet in fluid communication with an inlet of the main biological treatment train; and
a conduit configured to direct a portion of a digested sludge produced in the anaerobic digester to a side stream reactor configured to grow anammox bacteria at a rate greater than at least one other bacterial species,

the wastewater treatment system configured to produce an effluent having a concentration of total nitrogen that is less than the initial concentration of total nitrogen.

5. The system of claim 4 , further comprises a conduit configured to recycle a portion of a digested sludge produced in the anaerobic digester back to an inlet of the contact tank.

6. The system of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first conduit configured to direct a first portion of a digested sludge produced in the anaerobic digester to an inlet of a first treatment vessel of the main biological treatment train which is upstream of all other treatment vessels in the main biological treatment train; and
a second conduit configured to direct a second portion of the digested sludge produced in the anaerobic digester to an inlet of a second treatment vessel of the main biological treatment train which is downstream of the first treatment vessel.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the first treatment vessel and the second treatment vessel comprises an anoxic, aerated-anoxic, or anaerobic treatment vessel configured to perform the at least one first unit operation.

8. The system of claim 4 , further including a second conduit configured to direct a first portion of anammox bacteria grown in the side stream reactor into the inlet of the main biological treatment train.

9. The system of claim 8 , further including a third conduit configured to direct a second portion of anammox bacteria grown in the side stream reactor into an inlet of the contact tank.

10. A method of treating wastewater, the method comprising:
directing the wastewater into a contact tank to produce a first mixed liquor, the wastewater having an initial concentration of total nitrogen;
directing the first mixed liquor into a first separation system to produce a solids-rich sludge and a solids-lean effluent;
introducing the solids-lean effluent into a main biological treatment train containing anammox bacteria;
increasing a concentration of anammox bacteria in the main biological treatment train by:
anaerobically digesting the solids-rich sludge in an anaerobic digester to produce an anaerobically digested sludge;
introducing a first portion of the anaerobically digested sludge into the main biological treatment train;
directing a second portion of the anaerobically digested sludge into a side stream reactor configured to grow anammox bacteria at a rate greater than at least one other bacterial species; and
introducing anammox bacteria from the side stream reactor into the main biological treatment train;

treating the solids-lean effluent in the main biological treatment train to produce a second mixed liquor; and
directing the second mixed liquor into a second separation system to produce a second solids-rich sludge and a second solids-lean effluent, the second solids-lean effluent having a total nitrogen concentration that is less than the initial concentration of total nitrogen.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein introducing the first portion of the anaerobically digested sludge into the main biological treatment train comprises:
introducing a first amount of the first portion of the anaerobically digested sludge into an inlet of a first treatment vessel of the main biological treatment train which is upstream of all other treatment vessels in the main biological treatment train; and
introducing a second amount of the first portion of the anaerobically digested sludge into an inlet of a second treatment vessel of the main biological treatment train which is downstream of the first treatment vessel.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising introducing anammox bacteria from the side stream reactor into the contact tank.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising recycling a first portion of the second solids-rich sludge to the contact tank, and a sec

Assignees

• Evoqua Water Tech Llc

Inventors

• Whittier Michael Casey
• Lindemann Timothy
• Antonneau Nathan

Classifications

• C02F2203/004

  comprising a selector reactor for promoting floc-forming or other bacteria · CPC title

• C02F3/307 Primary

  characterised by direct conversion of nitrite to molecular nitrogen, e.g. by using the Anammox process · CPC title