Development of an innovative nitrogen removal process

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Nitrogen standards in wastewater effluent are currently based on free ammonia, although oxidized forms of nitrogen species (e.g., nitrite or nitrate) adversely affect aquatic animals and human. To better protect aquatic ecosystems and human health against the oxidized nitrogen compounds in wastewater, several cities or provinces have started strengthening nitrogen standards with total nitrogen. These strict nitrogen standards based on total nitrogen need supplemental processes into existing aerobic wastewater treatment plants (e.g., domestic wastewater treatment facilities): denitrification processes. Denitrification that typically uses methanol as external carbon source is an expensive process, due to continuous supply of the chemical. Moreover, anaerobic treatment processes often used for industrial wastewater will need a complete set of nitrification and denitrification, requiring more substantial costs for nitrogen control in the wastewater. The goal of the proposed research is to develop an innovative, economical nitrogen removal process for providing cleaner water sustainably. This project can help an industry partner to initiate development of a new, economical nitrogen removal process on one hand. On the other hand, successful development of this technology can improve human health and the clean water environment for Canada in sustainable fashions.