Start‐up and operation of anammox biofilter in treating low‐strength ammonia wastewater prepared by tail water from a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Abstract BACKGROUND Economic technology of advanced nitrogen removal of municipal wastewater is urgently needed. In this study, anammox biofilter (A‐BF) as a carbon‐ and energy‐saving advanced nitrogen removal process was tested under the conditions of sewage secondary effluent. RESULTS The results showed that A‐BF could be successfully started up under total nitrogen (TN) of both 25 and 75 mg L −1 within 30 days at 25 °C. It achieved a nitrogen removal rate of 0.62 ± 0.08 kg‐N m −3 d −1 with nitrogen loading rate of 1.35 kg‐N m −3 d −1 at TN of 17 mg L −1 . The ceramsite bed was conducive to the formation of biofilm and enrichment of functional microorganisms. The volatile suspended solid reached 1.39–7.33 g L −1 , in which the abundance of the typical anammox bacteria Candidatus_Brocadia and Candidatus_Kuenenia occupied 0.96–1.35% and 0.29–0.92%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Overall, under low TN concentration and high nitrogen load, A‐BF could be a candidate technique for advanced nitrogen removal of municipal sewage. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.