Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Effect of organic carbon on the production of biofuel nitrous oxide during the denitrification process

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The carbon source plays an important role in denitrification for nitrogen removal from wastewater. In this study, the denitrification performance and nitrous oxide (N2O) generation in four sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) fed with methanol, ethanol, sodium acetate and glucose were investigated. The maximum N2O generation was achieved when glucose was used as the carbon source, with a N2O conversion ratio of 56%. The high conversion ratio was contributed from the organic carbon of glucose and the glucose-acclimated denitrifiers. The nitrite accumulation and N2O generation during denitrification with glucose as the carbon source increased with increasing chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen ratios in the range of 2–8. The microbial community and their relative abundances varied greatly in the four reactors, and a low abundance of Thauera was found in the glucose-fed SBR, which might contribute to the greater N2O production. Practical strategies for N2O generation from the denitrification process using glucose as the carbon source were proposed so as to achieve energy recovery from nitrogen in wastewater.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  • Adouani N, Lendormi T, Limousy L, Sire O (2010) Effect of the carbon source on N2O emissions during biological denitrification. Resour Conserv Recycl 54(5):299–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anthonisen AC, Loehr RC, Prakasam TBS, Srinath EG (1976) Inhibition of nitrification by ammonia and nitrous acid. J Water Pollut Control Fed 127(3):835–852

    Google Scholar 

  • APHA (1995) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. American Public Health Association, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Baytshtok V, Lu H, Park H, Kim S, Yu R, Chandran K (2009) Impact of varying electron donors on the molecular microbial ecology and biokinetics of methylotrophic denitrifying bacteria. Biotechnol Bioeng 102(6):1527–1536

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beline F, Martinez J, Chadwick D, Guiziou F, Coste CM (1999) Factors affecting nitrogen transformations and related nitrous oxide emissions from aerobically treated piggery slurry. J Agric Eng Res 73(3):235–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherchi C, Onnis-Hayden A, El-Shawabkeh I, Gu AZ (2009) Implication of using different carbon sources for denitrification in wastewater treatments. Water Environ Res 81(8):788–799

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Constantin H, Fick M (1997) Influence of C-sources on the denitrification rate of a high-nitrate concentrated industrial wastewater. Water Res 31(3):583–589

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Etchebehere C, Errazquin MI, Dabert P, Moletta R, Muxi L (2001) Comamonas nitrativorans sp. nov., a novel denitrifier isolated from a denitrifying reactor treating landfill leachate. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 51(3):977–983

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ge S, Peng Y, Wang S, Lu C, Cao X, Zhu Y (2012) Nitrite accumulation under constant temperature in anoxic denitrification process: the effects of carbon sources and COD/NO3-N. Biores Technol 114:137–143

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Glass C, Silverstein JA (1998) Denitrification kinetics of high nitrate concentration water: pH effect on inhibition and nitrite accumulation. Water Res 32(3):831–839

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Glass C, Silverstein J, Oh J (1997) Inhibition of denitrification in activated sludge by nitrite. Water Environ Res 69(6):1086–1093

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2000) Special report on emissions scenarios. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan ST, Hiraishi A (2002) Diaphorobacter nitroreducens gen. nov., sp. nov., a poly (3-hydroxybutyrate)-degrading denitrifying bacterium isolated from activated sludge. J Gen Appl Microbiol 48(6):299–308

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lemaire R, Meyer R, Taske A, Crocetti GR, Keller J, Yuan Z (2006) Identifying causes for N2O accumulation in a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor performing simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal. J Biotechnol 122(1):62–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu H, Chandran K, Stensel D (2014) Microbial ecology of denitrification in biological wastewater treatment. Water Res 64:237–254

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mwaikono KS, Maina S, Sebastian A, Schilling M, Kapur V, Gwakisa P (2016) High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene reveals substantial bacterial diversity on the municipal dumpsite. BMC Microbiol 16:145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan Y, Ni BJ, Bond PL, Ye L, Yuan Z (2013) Electron competition among nitrogen oxides reduction during methanol-utilizing denitrification in wastewater treatment. Water Res 47(10):3273–3281

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scherson YD, Wells GF, Woo SG, Lee J, Park J, Cantwell BJ, Criddle CS (2013) Nitrogen removal with energy recovery through N2O decomposition. Energy Environ Sci 6(1):241–248

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scherson YD, Woo SG, Criddle CS (2014) Production of nitrous oxide from anaerobic digester centrate and its use as a co-oxidant of biogas to enhance energy recovery. Environ Sci Technol 48(10):5612–5619

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smolders GJF, Van der Meij J, Van Loosdrecht MCM, Heijnen JJ (1994) Model of the anaerobic metabolism of the biological phosphorus removal process: stoichiometry and pH influence. Biotechnol Bioeng 43(6):461–470

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tallec G, Garnier J, Billen G, Gousailles M (2008) Nitrous oxide emissions from denitrifying activated sludge of urban wastewater treatment plants, under anoxia and low oxygenation. Biores Technol 99(7):2200–2209

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xie L, Chen J, Wang R, Zhou Q (2012) Effect of carbon source and COD/NO3–N ratio on anaerobic simultaneous denitrification and methanogenesis for high-strength wastewater treatment. J Biosci Bioeng 113(6):759–764

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang X, Wang S, Zhou L (2012) Effect of carbon source, C/N ratio, nitrate and dissolved oxygen concentration on nitrite and ammonium production from denitrification process by Pseudomonasstutzeri D6. Biores Technol 104:65–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao J, Huang N, Hu B, Jia L, Ge G (2016) Potential of nitrous oxide recovery from an aerobic/oxic/anoxic SBR process. Water Sci Technol 73(5):1061–1066

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Plan Project (Grant Number: JSKF20150717163429311).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (MARC) of Shenzhen, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China

    Y. Zhao, J. Miao, X. Ren & G. Wu

Authors
  1. Y. Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Miao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. X. Ren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  4. G. Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Wu.

Additional information

Editorial responsibility: M. Abbaspour.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhao, Y., Miao, J., Ren, X. et al. Effect of organic carbon on the production of biofuel nitrous oxide during the denitrification process. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 15, 461–470 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1397-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1397-9

Keywords