Biological treatment of a piggery wastewater for organic carbon and nitroge
n removal in a combined anaerobic-aerobic system was investigated using two
laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors. The cycle length was 24 h. In
the anaerobic reactor. fed with raw wastewater and recycling from the aerob
ic reactor, denitrification followed by anaerobic digestion of organic carb
on was observed. In the aerobic reactor, more organic carbon removal and am
monia oxidation to mainly nitrite occurred. Denitrification was also observ
ed in the aerobic reactor during the filling period, when mixed liquor diss
olved oxygen concentration was very low. Three recycle-to-influent ratios f
rom 1 to 3 were tested. Average performances of the overall process, in the
different conditions tested, were a TOC removal of 81 to 91% and 85 to 91%
of TKN. 10 to 25% of the initial TKN was discharged as N-NOx because of th
e low recycle-to-influent ratios used. The higher the recycle-to-influent r
atio, the lower the concentrations of nitrogen oxides in the final effluent
. However, the effect of this ratio was attenuated by the phenomenon of den
itrification in the aerobic reactor which increased the performances of the
process. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.