Effect of Aeration on Nitrous Oxide () Emission from Nitrogen-Removing Sequencing Batch Reactors

In this study, nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) emission was compared between the operations of two different sequencing batch reactors, conventional sequencing batch reactor (CNVSBR) and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification sequencing batch reactor (SND-SBR), using synthetic wastewater. The CNV-SBR consisted of anoxic (denitrification) and aerobic phases, whereas the SND-SBR consisted of a microaerobic (low dissolved oxygen concentration) phase, which was achieved by intermittent aeration for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. The CNV-SBR emitted 3.9 mg of $N_2O$-N in the denitrification phase and 1.6 mg of $N_2O$-N in the nitrification phase, resulting in a total emission of 5.5mg from 432mg of $NH_4^+$-N input. In contrast, the SND-SBR emitted 26.2mg of $N_2O$-N under the microaerobic condition, which was about 5 times higher than the emission obtained with the CNV-SBR at the same $NH_4^+$-N input. From the $N_2O$ yield based on $NH_4^+$-N input, the microaerobic condition produced the highest yield (6.1%), followed by the anoxic (0.9%) and aerobic (0.4%) conditions. It is thought that an appropriate dissolved oxygen level is critical for reducing $N_2O$ emission during nitrification and denitrification at wastewater treatment plants.