Effect of carbon source and nitrate concentration on denitrification of high-nitrate wastewater

The aim of the present work was to study the applicability of the activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant for high strength nitrate denitrification process. A sequenced batch reactor operated at initial nitrate concentration in the range from 750 to 8500 mg NO⁻_{3 -}N/dm³ .The effectiveness of various carbon sources on denitrification rate and nitrite accumulation was studied. The average specific denitrification rate was in the range from 58 to 62 mg NO⁻_{3 -}N /(g VSS·h) for ethanol, glycerol, molasses and whey. The denitrification with methanol was not effective.