Advances in Nitrogen-Rich Wastewater Treatment: A Comprehensive Review of Modern Technologies

Abdullah Omar, Fares Almomani (), Hazim Qiblawey and Kashif Rasool
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Abdullah Omar: Chemical Engineering Department, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Fares Almomani: Chemical Engineering Department, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Hazim Qiblawey: Chemical Engineering Department, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Kashif Rasool: Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-37

Abstract: Nitrogen-rich wastewater is a major environmental issue that requires proper treatment before disposal. This comprehensive overview covers biological, physical, and chemical nitrogen removal methods. Simultaneous nitrification–denitrification (SND) is most effective in saline water when utilizing both aerobic and anoxic conditions with diverse microbial populations for nitrogen removal. Coupling anammox with denitrification could increase removal rates and reduce energy demand. Suspended growth bioreactors effectively treated diverse COD/N ratios and demonstrated resilience to low C/N ratios. Moving biofilm bioreactors exhibit reduced mortality rates, enhanced sludge–liquid separation, increased treatment efficiency, and stronger biological structures. SND studies show ≥90% total nitrogen removal efficiency (%RE TN ) in diverse setups, with Defluviicoccus, Nitrosomonas, and Nitrospira as the main microbial communities, while anammox–denitrification achieved a %RE TN of 77%. Systems using polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate as a growth medium showed a %RE TN ≥ 75%. Air-lift reflux configurations exhibited high %RE TN and %RE NH4 , reducing costs and minimizing sludge formation. Microwave pretreatment and high-frequency electric fields could be used to improve the %RE NH4 . Adsorption/ion exchange, membrane distillation, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration exhibit promise in industrial wastewater treatment. AOPs and sulfate-based oxidants effectively eliminate nitrogen compounds from industrial wastewater. Tailoring proposed treatments for cost-effective nitrogen removal, optimizing microbial interactions, and analyzing the techno-economics of emerging technologies are crucial.

Keywords: wastewater treatment; nitrogen removal; microbial consortia; biocarrier materials; techno-economic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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