The Development of Nutrient‐Removal Processes (Abridged)

In: Water and environment journal, Band 12, Heft 5, S. 330-337

Abstract

AbstractThe earliest references to the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus in activated‐sludge systems indicated an awareness, but no particular interest, in the use of biological processes for the removal of nutrients. The development of extended‐aeration processes in general, and of channel systems in particular, intensified the interest in denitrification as a means of reducing nitrogen in an effluent. Observations of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification led to the proposal of separate anoxic zones for optimal nitrogen removal. The discovery that biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal could be synergistic, led to an explosion of processes, differing in all but the basic underlying biochemistry, for the removal of both nitrogen and phosphorus. The development of computer models, to accurately describe the complex and inter‐related reactions, makes it possible to fully exploit biological systems to achieve cost‐effective nutrient removal.