• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.171-184
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• 2017

This study presents the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the characteristics of emission of three major greenhouse gases (GHGs) including $CH_4$, $CO_2$ and $N_2O$ during operation of a sequencing batch reactor for aerobic oxidation of methane with denitrification (AeOM-D SBR). Dissolved $N_2O$ concentration increased, leveled-off and slightly decreased as the HRT increased from 0.25 to 1d. Concentration of the dissolved $N_2O$ was higher at the shorter HRT, which was highly associated with the lowered C/N ratio. A longer HRT resulted in a higher C/N ratio with a sufficient carbon source produced by methanotrophs via methane oxidation, which provided a favorable condition for reducing $N_2O$ formation. With a less formation of the dissolved $N_2O$, $N_2O$ emission rate was lower at a longer HRT condition due to the lower C/N ratio. Opposite to the $N_2O$ emission, emission rates of $CH_4$ and $CO_2$ were higher at a longer HRT. Longer HRT resulted in the greater total GHGs emission as $CO_2$ equivalent which was doubled when the HRT increased from 0.5d to 1.0 d. Contribution of $CH_4$ onto the total GHGs emission was most dominant accounting for 98 - 99% compared to that of $N_2O$ (< 2%).