Towards Energy Efficiency Through Low-DO Nitrification: Extending our Knowledge of Ammonia-Oxidizing Organisms

1435661通过低do硝化实现能源效率：扩大我们对废水处理活性污泥中氨氧化生物的认识是一个常见的过程。活性污泥是最大的单一能源用户，因为维持好氧（富氧）条件所需的氧气量。本提案旨在鉴定和表征在低do条件下进行氨氧化的新型生物，从而降低该过程的成本。假设是，在低溶解氧活性污泥系统中，未被识别的氨氧化生物可能负责硝化作用。如果这项研究取得成功，它将显著降低美国许多污水处理厂的能源成本。该项目还将允许pi继续指导高中生、本科生和研究生，并将资助两名来自科学和工程领域代表性不足群体的博士生的培训。从技术上讲，该项目分为三个任务，包括；1)筛选从实验室规模反应器中分离的纯培养物，进行高效硝化；2)重点鉴定实验室规模反应器中丰富的氨氧化生物；3)进行动力学实验，表征中试规模反应器中耦合和处理全规模污水处理厂一次出水的微生物群落。强化生物除磷和低溶解氧硝化的有效耦合将是一个变革性的发展，因为曝气去除营养物可以占能源消耗的近一半。该项目将促进新技术的开发，有助于废水处理行业实现能源中和的总体目标，并将重点从废物处理转向资源回收设施。

1435661NogueraTowards Energy Efficiency Through Low-DO Nitrification: Extending our Knowledge of Ammonia-Oxidizing Organisms In wastewater treatment activated sludge is a common process. Activated sludge is the single largest energy user because of the amount of oxygen that is needed to maintain aerobic (oxygen rich) conditions. This proposal seeks to identify and characterize the novel organisms that perform ammonia oxidation under low-DO conditions and thereby reducing the cost of the process. The hypothesis is that unrecognized ammonia-oxidizing organisms are likely responsible for nitrification in low-dissolved oxygen activated sludge systems. If this study is successful it will result in a significant reduction in energy costs for many wastewater treatment plants in the Nation. The project will also allow the PIs to continue mentoring high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, and will fund the training of two PhD students from underrepresented groups in science and engineering.Technically, the project is divided into three tasks which include; 1) screening a collection of pure cultures isolated from a lab-scale reactor performing efficient nitrification, 2) focused on the identification of the abundant ammonia-oxidizing organisms in lab-scale reactors, and 3) conduct kinetic experiments to characterize the microbial communities in pilot-scale reactors coupling and treating primary effluent from a full scale wastewater treatment plant. The effective coupling of enhanced biological phosphorus removal and low-dissolved oxygen nitrification will be a transformative development, since aeration for nutrient removal can account for nearly half of the energy use. This project will enable development of new technologies that contribute to the wastewater industry's overarching goals of achieving energy neutrality and shifting the focus from waste treatment to resource recovery facilities.