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High-rate partial nitritation using porous poly(vinyl alcohol) sponge

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Abstract

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) has been utilized as a support material for the immobilization of nitrifying bacteria without the comprehensive survey of partial nitritation. In the present study, the activities of nitrifiers and the maximum nitrogen conversion rate of partial nitritation with PVA sponge-cubes were specified according to different conditions. The selective enrichment of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) on PVA sponge-cubes was achieved by the competition between AOB and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria for dissolved oxygen. The efficiency of ammonia oxidation was proportional to the concentration of HCO3 − with the molar ratio of HCO3 −-C/NH4 +-N = 1.91 and a half of the ratio was applied to the further experiments to ensure stable partial nitritation. The maximum nitrogen conversion rate of partial nitritation was dependent on the volume, not the size of sponge-cubes. The partial nitritation showed the superior rate performance of 3.09 kg N/m3 day with the packing ratio of 32 % of 5 × 5 × 5 mm3 PVA sponge-cubes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the financial support from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (Project No. 2Z03740).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Water Resource Cycle Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 39-1 Hawolgok-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 136-791, Republic of Korea

    Hyokwan Bae, Yun-Chul Chung & Seockheon Lee

  2. Interdisciplinary Program of Bioengineering, Seoul National University, San 56-1, Shilim-Dong, Kwanak-Gu, Seoul, 151-742, Republic of Korea

    Hyokwan Bae & Young Je Yoo

  3. Water Environmental Engineering Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Environmental Research Complex, Kyungseo-Dong, Seo-Gu, Incheon, 404-708, Republic of Korea

    Heejeong Yang

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  1. Hyokwan Bae
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  2. Heejeong Yang
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  3. Yun-Chul Chung
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  4. Young Je Yoo
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  5. Seockheon Lee
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Correspondence to Young Je Yoo or Seockheon Lee.

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Y. J. Yoo equally contributed to this work.

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Bae, H., Yang, H., Chung, YC. et al. High-rate partial nitritation using porous poly(vinyl alcohol) sponge. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 37, 1115–1125 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-1083-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-1083-3

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