Article

The demonstration of a novel sulfur cycle-based wastewater treatment process: Sulfate reduction, autotrophic denitrification, and nitrification integrated (SANI®) biological nitrogen removal process

  1. Hui Lu1,2,*,
  2. Di Wu3,
  3. Feng Jiang4,
  4. George A. Ekama5,
  5. Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht6,7,
  6. Guang-Hao Chen3,*

Article first published online: 17 MAY 2012

DOI: 10.1002/bit.24540

Issue

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Volume 109, Issue 11, pages 2778–2789, November 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Lu, H., Wu, D., Jiang, F., Ekama, G. A., van Loosdrecht, M. C.M. and Chen, G.-H. (2012), The demonstration of a novel sulfur cycle-based wastewater treatment process: Sulfate reduction, autotrophic denitrification, and nitrification integrated (SANI®) biological nitrogen removal process. Biotechnol. Bioeng., 109: 2778–2789. doi: 10.1002/bit.24540

Author Information

  1. 1

    School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

  2. 2

    Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Guangzhou, China

  3. 3

    Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; telephone: 852-23588743; fax: 852-23581534 (H.L.); telephone: 852-23588752; fax: 852-23581534 (G-H.C.)

  4. 4

    School of Chemistry & Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China

  5. 5

    Water Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

  6. 6

    Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, BC Delft, The Netherlands

  7. 7

    KWR Watercycle Research Institute, Delft, The Netherlands

*School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 24 SEP 2012
  2. Article first published online: 17 MAY 2012
  3. Accepted manuscript online: 30 APR 2012 08:16AM EST
  4. Manuscript Accepted: 20 APR 2012
  5. Manuscript Revised: 8 MAR 2012
  6. Manuscript Received: 17 DEC 2011

Funded by

  • Drainage Services Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government

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Keywords:

  • seawater toilet flushing;
  • saline sewage treatment;
  • SANI® process;
  • pilot-scale demonstration;
  • sludge minimization

Abstract

Saline water supply has been successfully practiced for toilet flushing in Hong Kong since 1950s, which saves 22% of freshwater in Hong Kong. In order to extend the benefits of saline water supply into saline sewage management, we have recently developed a novel biological organics and nitrogen removal process: the Sulfate reduction, Autotrophic denitrification, and Nitrification Integrated (SANI®) process. The key features of this novel process include elimination of oxygen demand in organic matter removal and production of minimal sludge. Following the success of a 500-day lab-scale trial, this study reports a pilot scale evaluation of this novel process treating 10 m3/day of 6-mm screened saline sewage in Hong Kong. The SANI® pilot plant consisted of a sulfate reduction up-flow sludge bed (SRUSB) reactor, an anoxic bioreactor for autotrophic denitrification and an aerobic bioreactor for nitrification. The plant was operated at a steady state for 225 days, during which the average removal efficiencies of both chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) at 87% and no excess sludge was purposefully withdrawn. Furthermore, a tracer test revealed 5% short circuit flow and a 34.6% dead zone in the SRUSB, indicating a good possibility to further optimize the treatment capacity of the process for full-scale application. Compared with conventional biological nitrogen removal processes, the SANI® process reduces 90% of waste sludge, which saves 35% of the energy and reduces 36% of fossil CO2 emission. The SANI® process not only eliminates the major odor sources originating from primary treatment and subsequent sludge treatment and disposal during secondary saline sewage treatment, but also promotes saline water supply as an economic and sustainable solution for water scarcity and sewage treatment in water-scarce coastal areas. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 2778–2789. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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