Pilot-scale study on a sludge-biofilm symbiotic system for enhancing partial nitrification-anammox in nitrogen removal from high-ammonia nitrogen industrial wastewater

SUN Haofei; LI Jialin; SUN Zhaoqiang; ZHANG Liang

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202605002

Volume 44 Issue 5

May 2026

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SUN Haofei, LI Jialin, SUN Zhaoqiang, ZHANG Liang. Pilot-scale study on a sludge-biofilm symbiotic system for enhancing partial nitrification-anammox in nitrogen removal from high-ammonia nitrogen industrial wastewater[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(5): 17-26. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605002

Citation:

SUN Haofei, LI Jialin, SUN Zhaoqiang, ZHANG Liang. Pilot-scale study on a sludge-biofilm symbiotic system for enhancing partial nitrification-anammox in nitrogen removal from high-ammonia nitrogen industrial wastewater[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(5): 17-26. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605002

Citation:

SUN Haofei, LI Jialin, SUN Zhaoqiang, ZHANG Liang. Pilot-scale study on a sludge-biofilm symbiotic system for enhancing partial nitrification-anammox in nitrogen removal from high-ammonia nitrogen industrial wastewater[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(5): 17-26. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605002

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Pilot-scale study on a sludge-biofilm symbiotic system for enhancing partial nitrification-anammox in nitrogen removal from high-ammonia nitrogen industrial wastewater

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605002

1. National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China;
2. Beijing Tecozhikang Environmental Protection Technology Co., Beijing 102218, China

Received Date: 2025-04-08
Available Online: 2026-06-06

Abstract

Abstract

The single-phase partial nitrification and anammox （SPN/A） process has seen limited widespread application due to its slow startup and the difficulties in enriching anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria （AnAOB）. This study utilized high-ammonia nitrogen wastewater to initiate and enhance the SPN/A process in a pilot-scale integrated fixed-film activated sludge （IFAS） reactor. By establishing an IFAS-SPN/A coupled system based on the symbiotic relationship between the biofilm and sludge， rapid startup of the IFAS reactor and efficient enrichment of AnAOB were achieved. An innovative sludge inoculation strategy was employed： firstly， conventional nitrifying sludge was inoculated to initiate shortcut nitrification and allow ammonia-oxidizing bacteria （AOB） to colonize blank carriers； subsequently， anammox sludge was inoculated to promote the efficient enrichment of AnAOB on the AOB biofilm. The experiment used low-temperature shift condensation water from the synthetic ammonia workshop as the influent， with an average ammonium nitrogen concentration of 2300 mg/L and a COD concentration ranging from 50 to 200 mg/L. The 180-day experiment was divided into three stages： shortcut nitrification startup， SPN/A startup， and load intensification. Ultimately， the system successfully started up SPN/A within 120 days， and through the synergistic action of biofilm and suspended microorganisms， improved the total nitrogen removal efficiency and removal load to （90.21±2.18）% and （0.31±0.07） kg/（m³·d）， respectively. During the load intensification stage， the relative abundance of AnAOB in the two-phase biofilm increased to 18.8% and 35.3%， achieving efficient AnAOB enrichment， while the removal load increased to （0.64±0.11） kg/（m³·d）. This study indicates that stable influent quality is a prerequisite for efficient and stable nitrogen removal in the IFAS-SPN/A coupled system. A surge in the influent ammonium nitrogen concentration is identified as the key factor leading to the imbalance of nitrite nitrogen accumulation and deterioration of the system's nitrogen removal efficiency. The addition of an equalization tank prior to the aeration tank can effectively mitigate the impact of such water quality fluctuations. Furthermore， the "dilution-reconstruction" strategy for treating low-ammonia nitrogen wastewater is beneficial for the rapid recovery of the system's nitrogen removal performance after a deterioration event.
- high-ammonia nitrogen wastewater,
- sludge-biofilm symbiosis,
- initial colonization,
- anammox,
- dilution-reconstruction

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References(40)

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