Alkalinity and pH effects on nitrification in a membrane aerated bioreactor: An experimental and model analysis

• An AQUASIM model incorporates pH changes in a membrane aerated biofilm.
• Profiles of nitrate, ammonium, oxygen and pH measured within MAB biofilms.
• Data used to calibrate and validate the model predictions with good results.
• Significant pH drops were predicted and measured in the biofilms.
• Influent alkalinity to ammonium ratio influences nitrification performance.

A nitrifying biofilm was grown in a laboratory-scale membrane aerated bioreactor (MABR) to calibrate and test a one-dimensional biofilm model incorporating chemical equilibria to calculate local pH values. A previously developed model (Shanahan and Semmens, 2004) based upon AQUASIM was modified to incorporate the impact of local pH changes within the biofilm on the kinetics of nitrification. Shielded microelectrodes were used to measure the concentration profiles of dissolved oxygen, ammonium, nitrate, and pH within the biofilm and the overlying boundary layer under actual operating conditions. Operating conditions were varied to assess the impact of bicarbonate loading (alkalinity), ammonium loading, and intra-membrane oxygen partial pressure on biofilm performance.Nitrification performance improved with increased ammonium and bicarbonate loadings over the range of operating conditions tested, but declined when the intra-membrane oxygen partial pressure was increased.Minor discrepancies between the measured and predicted concentration profiles within the biofilm were attributed to changes in biofilm density and vertical heterogeneities in biofilm structure not accounted for by the model. Nevertheless, predicted concentration profiles within the biofilm agreed well with experimental results over the range of conditions studied and highlight the fact that pH changes in the biofilm are significant especially in low alkalinity waters. The influent pH and buffer capacity of a wastewater may therefore have a significant impact on the performance of a membrane-aerated bioreactor with respect to nitrification, and nitrogen removal.

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