Start-up and stable operation of a low ammonia nitrogen nitrification system under a new strategy

XIANG Tao; CHENG Xinyu; LI Jun

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202510023

Volume 43 Issue 10

Oct. 2025

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XIANG Tao, CHENG Xinyu, LI Jun. Start-up and stable operation of a low ammonia nitrogen nitrification system under a new strategy[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(10): 209-216. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202510023

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XIANG Tao, CHENG Xinyu, LI Jun. Start-up and stable operation of a low ammonia nitrogen nitrification system under a new strategy[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(10): 209-216. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202510023

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Start-up and stable operation of a low ammonia nitrogen nitrification system under a new strategy

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202510023

1. School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110168, China

Received Date: 2024-06-09
Accepted Date: 2024-08-04
Rev Recd Date: 2024-07-17

Available Online: 2025-12-03

Publish Date: 2025-10-01

Abstract

Abstract

The key challenge is to ensure the stable operation of the low ammonia nitrogen （NH₄⁺-N） nitrification process， which is essential for advancing the application of autotrophic denitrification technology. To facilitate the rapid startup and stable operation of the low NH₄⁺-N nitrification system， this study employed an upflow anaerobic sludge bed （UASB） reactor for system initiation， exploring the effect of a novel strategy that integrates intermittent aeration with hydrazine （N₂H₄） addition on system efficiency and microbial characteristics. The results showed that in stage I， using only intermittent aeration， the NH₄⁺-N conversion rate （ANCR） and nitrite accumulation rate （NAR） were only 31.06% and 35.47%， respectively. In stage II， with the intermittent aeration combined with N₂H₄ dosing strategy， both ANCR and NAR gradually increased to 55.71% and 93.25%， respectively. By stage III， the system had achieved stable operation， with NCR and NAR stabilizing at 50% and 100%， respectively. The relative abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria （AOB） in Nitrosomonas increased twofold， while that of nitrite oxidizing bacteria （NOB） in Nitrospira decreased to 0.23%. AOB activity rose by 10.53%， whereas NOB activity dropped by 37.5%. The study demonstrated that this innovative strategy successfully facilitated the startup and stable operation of the low NH₄⁺-N nitrification system.
- low ammonia nitrogen,
- nitrification,
- intermittent aeration,
- N₂H₄,
- autotrophic denitrification

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References(20)

References

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