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Prof. José Ramón Vázquez Padín
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0 granular sludge
0 anammox
0 Bioprocess Engineering
0 Phosphorus recovery
0 Anaerobic MBR

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Journal article
Published: 30 July 2021 in Processes
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The application of partial nitritation and anammox processes (PN/A) to remove nitrogen can improve the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as well as diminish their operational costs. However, there are still several limitations that are preventing the widespread application of PN/A processes in urban WWTPs such as: (a) the loss of performance stability of the PN/A units operated at the sludge line, when the sludge is thermally pretreated to increase biogas production; (b) the proliferation of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in the mainstream; and (c) the maintenance of a suitable effluent quality in the mainstream. In this work, different operational strategies to overcome these limitations were modelled and analyzed. In WWTPs whose sludge is thermically hydrolyzed, the implementation of an anerobic treatment before the PN/A unit is the best alternative, from an economic point of view, to maintain the stable performance of this unit. In order to apply the PN/A process in the mainstream, the growth of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) should be promoted in the sludge line by supplying extra sludge to the anaerobic digesters. The AOB generated would be applied to the water line to partially oxidize ammonia, and the anammox process would then be carried out. Excess nitrate generated by anammox bacteria and/or NOB can be removed by recycling a fraction of the WWTP effluent to the biological reactor to promote its denitrification.

ACS Style

Alba Pedrouso; José Vázquez-Padín; Dafne Crutchik; José Campos. Application of Anammox-Based Processes in Urban WWTPs: Are We on the Right Track? Processes 2021, 9, 1334 .

AMA Style

Alba Pedrouso, José Vázquez-Padín, Dafne Crutchik, José Campos. Application of Anammox-Based Processes in Urban WWTPs: Are We on the Right Track? Processes. 2021; 9 (8):1334.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alba Pedrouso; José Vázquez-Padín; Dafne Crutchik; José Campos. 2021. "Application of Anammox-Based Processes in Urban WWTPs: Are We on the Right Track?" Processes 9, no. 8: 1334.

Journal article
Published: 15 July 2021 in Chemical Engineering Journal
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A two-stage system (partial nitritation (PN) and anammox processes) was used to remove nitrogen from the dewatering liquor originating from the thermal hydrolysis/anaerobic digestion (THP/AD) of municipal WWTP sludge. Two strategies were tested to start up the PN reactor: 1) maintaining a fixed hydraulic retention time (HRT) and increasing the ammonium loading rate (ALR) by decreasing the feeding dilution ratio and 2) feeding undiluted dewatering liquor and gradually decreasing the HRT. With diluted feeding, the reactor performance had destabilization episodes that were statistically correlated with the application of high specific ammonium (>0.6 g NH4±-N/(g TSS·d)) and organic (>0.7 g COD/(g TSS·d)) loading rates. The second strategy allowed stable PN reactor operation while treating ALR up to 4.8 g NH4±-N/(L·d) and demonstrating that dilution of THP/AD effluents is not required. The operating conditions promoted the presence of free nitrous acid levels (> 0.14 mg HNO2-N/L) inside the PN reactor that inhibited the proliferation of nitrite oxidizing bacteria. Batch activity tests showed that the inhibitory effects of organic compounds present in the THP/AD dewatering liquor on the ammonia oxidizing bacteria activity can be removed in the PN reactor. Thus, aerobic pretreatment would not be necessary when two-stage systems are used. The PN reactor effluent was successfully treated by an anammox reactor. An economic analysis showed that using two-stage systems is advantageous for treating THP/AD dewatering liquor. The implementation of an aerobic pre-treatment unit is recommended for WWTPs capacities higher than 5·105 inhabitants equivalent when one-stage systems are used.

ACS Style

Daniel Valenzuela-Heredia; Camila Panatt; Marisol Belmonte; Oscar Franchi; Dafne Crutchik; Jacques Dumais; José Ramón Vázquez-Padín; Yves Lesty; Alba Pedrouso; Ángeles Val del Río; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; José Luis Campos. Performance of a two-stage partial nitritation-anammox system treating the supernatant of a sludge anaerobic digester pretreated by a thermal hydrolysis process. Chemical Engineering Journal 2021, 131301 .

AMA Style

Daniel Valenzuela-Heredia, Camila Panatt, Marisol Belmonte, Oscar Franchi, Dafne Crutchik, Jacques Dumais, José Ramón Vázquez-Padín, Yves Lesty, Alba Pedrouso, Ángeles Val del Río, Anuska Mosquera-Corral, José Luis Campos. Performance of a two-stage partial nitritation-anammox system treating the supernatant of a sludge anaerobic digester pretreated by a thermal hydrolysis process. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2021; ():131301.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Valenzuela-Heredia; Camila Panatt; Marisol Belmonte; Oscar Franchi; Dafne Crutchik; Jacques Dumais; José Ramón Vázquez-Padín; Yves Lesty; Alba Pedrouso; Ángeles Val del Río; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; José Luis Campos. 2021. "Performance of a two-stage partial nitritation-anammox system treating the supernatant of a sludge anaerobic digester pretreated by a thermal hydrolysis process." Chemical Engineering Journal , no. : 131301.

Journal article
Published: 16 October 2020 in Polymers
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Cationic polymers have proven to be suitable flux enhancers (FEs) in large-scale aerobic membrane bioreactors (MBRs), whereas in anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) research is scarce, and so far, only done at lab‐scale. Results from MBRs cannot be directly translated to AnMBRs because the extent and nature of membrane fouling under anaerobic and aerobic conditions are different. Our research focused on the long-term effect of dosing the cationic polymer Adifloc KD451 to a pilot AnMBR, fed with source‐separated domestic blackwater. A single dosage of Adifloc KD451 at 50 mg L−1 significantly enhanced the filtration performance in the AnMBR, revealed by a decrease in both fouling rate and total filtration resistance. Nevertheless, FE addition had an immediate negative effect on the specific methanogenic activity (SMA), but this was a reversible process that had no adverse effect on permeate quality or chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal in the AnMBR. Moreover, the FE had a long‐term positive effect on AnMBR filtration performance and sludge filterability. These findings indicate that dosing Adifloc KD451 is a suitable strategy for fouling mitigation in AnMBRs because it led to a long‐term improvement in filtration performance, while having no significant adverse effects on permeate quality or COD removal.

ACS Style

Magela Odriozola; Nicolás Morales; Jose R. Vázquez-Padín; Maria Lousada-Ferreira; Henri Spanjers; Jules B. Van Lier. Fouling Mitigation by Cationic Polymer Addition into a Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Fed with Blackwater. Polymers 2020, 12, 2383 .

AMA Style

Magela Odriozola, Nicolás Morales, Jose R. Vázquez-Padín, Maria Lousada-Ferreira, Henri Spanjers, Jules B. Van Lier. Fouling Mitigation by Cationic Polymer Addition into a Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Fed with Blackwater. Polymers. 2020; 12 (10):2383.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Magela Odriozola; Nicolás Morales; Jose R. Vázquez-Padín; Maria Lousada-Ferreira; Henri Spanjers; Jules B. Van Lier. 2020. "Fouling Mitigation by Cationic Polymer Addition into a Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Fed with Blackwater." Polymers 12, no. 10: 2383.

Journal article
Published: 04 August 2020 in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
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The anammox process is an energy efficient promising alternative to biologically remove the nitrogen. Thus, a 5-L anammox granular reactor was inoculated with sludge coming from a sidestream partial nitritation and anammox reactor (>200 mg N/L and 30 °C) and it was directly subjected to 15 ± 1 °C treating mimicked municipal wastewater (50 mg N/L). Results indicated that an acclimation period (commonly used) to progressive reach the mainstream conditions is not needed, shortening the start-up periods. The long-term anammox process stability was proved to treat synthetic wastewater with decreasing alkalinities and nitritified primary settled municipal wastewater. The low pH values (6.2 ± 0.1) of the municipal wastewater fed did not affect the process stability. Residual organic matter concentrations augmented the nitrogen removal efficiency from 80 % (with the synthetic medium) to 92 % achieving effluent concentrations below 10 mg TN/L. Finally, the effect of pH (6 - 8), temperature (15 - 30 °C) and organic matter concentration (0 - 75 mg TOC/L) over the specific anammox activity (SAAMX) was evaluated at short-term. pH and temperature and their interactions exerted significant influence on the SAAMX value while the TOC concentrations itself did not significantly change the SAAMX.

ACS Style

Alba Pedrouso; Angeles Val del Rio; Nicolas Morales; Jose R. Vazquez-Padin; Jose Luis Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral. Mainstream anammox reactor performance treating municipal wastewater and batch study of temperature, pH and organic matter concentration cross-effects. Process Safety and Environmental Protection 2020, 145, 195 -202.

AMA Style

Alba Pedrouso, Angeles Val del Rio, Nicolas Morales, Jose R. Vazquez-Padin, Jose Luis Campos, Anuska Mosquera-Corral. Mainstream anammox reactor performance treating municipal wastewater and batch study of temperature, pH and organic matter concentration cross-effects. Process Safety and Environmental Protection. 2020; 145 ():195-202.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alba Pedrouso; Angeles Val del Rio; Nicolas Morales; Jose R. Vazquez-Padin; Jose Luis Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral. 2020. "Mainstream anammox reactor performance treating municipal wastewater and batch study of temperature, pH and organic matter concentration cross-effects." Process Safety and Environmental Protection 145, no. : 195-202.

Book chapter
Published: 01 January 2020 in Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering
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ACS Style

Antonio Jiménez-Benítez; José Ferrer; Frank Rogalla; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Aurora Seco; Ángel Robles. Energy and environmental impact of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) demonstration plant treating urban wastewater. Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering 2020, 289 -310.

AMA Style

Antonio Jiménez-Benítez, José Ferrer, Frank Rogalla, Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin, Aurora Seco, Ángel Robles. Energy and environmental impact of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) demonstration plant treating urban wastewater. Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 2020; ():289-310.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Jiménez-Benítez; José Ferrer; Frank Rogalla; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Aurora Seco; Ángel Robles. 2020. "Energy and environmental impact of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) demonstration plant treating urban wastewater." Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering , no. : 289-310.

Paper
Published: 01 April 2019 in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology
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The proposed control system allowed a full-scale sludge anaerobic digester to be safely steered from mono- to co-digestion and to raise methane production by 3-fold, increasing the self-produced electricity from 25% to 75% of the total demand of the WWTP.

ACS Style

Anton Taboada Santos; Marta Carballa; Nicolas Morales; José Ramón Vázquez-Padín; Ramiro Gutierrez; Juan Lema. An optimised control system to steer the transition from anaerobic mono- to co-digestion in full-scale plants. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 2019, 5, 1004 -1011.

AMA Style

Anton Taboada Santos, Marta Carballa, Nicolas Morales, José Ramón Vázquez-Padín, Ramiro Gutierrez, Juan Lema. An optimised control system to steer the transition from anaerobic mono- to co-digestion in full-scale plants. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. 2019; 5 (5):1004-1011.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anton Taboada Santos; Marta Carballa; Nicolas Morales; José Ramón Vázquez-Padín; Ramiro Gutierrez; Juan Lema. 2019. "An optimised control system to steer the transition from anaerobic mono- to co-digestion in full-scale plants." Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 5, no. 5: 1004-1011.

Journal article
Published: 31 July 2018 in Journal of Environmental Management
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In recent decades, the wastewater treatment sector has undergone a shift to adapt to increasing discharge limits. In addressing the evaluation of innovative technologies, it is necessary to determine the scale at which reliable and representative values of environmental impacts and costs can be obtained, ensuring that the system under assessment follows the direction of eco-efficiency. This study has evaluated the environmental and economic indicators of an autotrophic nitrogen removal technology (ELAN®) from laboratory conception (1.5 L) to full scale (2 units of 115 m3) using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Indirect emissions related to electricity consumption are the main contributor in all impact categories except eutrophication. Electricity consumption referred to the functional unit (1 m3 of treated wastewater) decreases as the scale increases. The rationale behind this can be explained, among other reasons, by the low energy efficiency of small-scale equipment (pumps and aerators). Accordingly, a value of approximately 25 kg CO2eq per m3 of treated water is determined for laboratory scale, compared to only 5 kg CO2eq per m3 at full-scale. When it comes to assessing the reliability of data, a pilot scale system of 0.2 m3 allowed to perform a trustworthy estimation of environmental indicators, which were validated at full-scale. In terms of operational costs, the scale of approximately 1 m3 provided a more accurate estimate of the costs associated with energy consumption.

ACS Style

Andrea Arias; Iana Salim; Alba Pedrouso; Nicolás Morales; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Frank Rogalla; Gumersindo Feijoo; María Teresa Moreira. Bottom-up approach in the assessment of environmental impacts and costs of an innovative anammox-based process for nitrogen removal. Journal of Environmental Management 2018, 225, 112 -119.

AMA Style

Andrea Arias, Iana Salim, Alba Pedrouso, Nicolás Morales, Anuska Mosquera-Corral, Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin, Frank Rogalla, Gumersindo Feijoo, María Teresa Moreira. Bottom-up approach in the assessment of environmental impacts and costs of an innovative anammox-based process for nitrogen removal. Journal of Environmental Management. 2018; 225 ():112-119.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrea Arias; Iana Salim; Alba Pedrouso; Nicolás Morales; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Frank Rogalla; Gumersindo Feijoo; María Teresa Moreira. 2018. "Bottom-up approach in the assessment of environmental impacts and costs of an innovative anammox-based process for nitrogen removal." Journal of Environmental Management 225, no. : 112-119.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2018 in Separation and Purification Technology
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A single stage partial nitritation and anammox granular pilot scale reactor (600 L) was operated to treat primary settled sewage in an urban wastewater treatment plant. The fed wastewater contained low total nitrogen concentrations of 6 - 25 mg TN/L and the system operated without temperature control ranging from 18 to 12 °C. A control strategy, based on the pH value, was applied to stop the aeration supply. The pH set-point was fixed at 6.0 and allowed obtaining a total nitrogen removal efficiency approximately of 50% treating a load of 67 mg TN/(L·d) without the addition of any chemicals. Although nitrite oxidizing bacteria were present in the inoculated sludge, when the pH-based control was implemented (day 30) the ammonium oxidation was favored compared to the nitrite oxidation activity. Then, the system operated stable the rest of the operational period (days 30-94) despite the presence of organic matter in the wastewater and the high variability of nitrogen load and temperature during the operation. Nitrogen was autotrophically removed accomplishing the stringent discharge limits (10 mg TN/L) and nitrate concentrations in the effluent lower than 3 mg NO3--N/L. Both biomass concentration and granules size increased during the operational period indicating the growth of the biomass inside the reactor and therefore the potential treatment capacity.

ACS Style

Alba Pedrouso; Irati Aiartza; Nicolás Morales; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Frank Rogalla; Jose L. Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; Angeles Val del Rio. Pilot-scale ELAN ® process applied to treat primary settled urban wastewater at low temperature via partial nitritation-anammox processes. Separation and Purification Technology 2018, 200, 94 -101.

AMA Style

Alba Pedrouso, Irati Aiartza, Nicolás Morales, Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin, Frank Rogalla, Jose L. Campos, Anuska Mosquera-Corral, Angeles Val del Rio. Pilot-scale ELAN ® process applied to treat primary settled urban wastewater at low temperature via partial nitritation-anammox processes. Separation and Purification Technology. 2018; 200 ():94-101.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alba Pedrouso; Irati Aiartza; Nicolás Morales; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Frank Rogalla; Jose L. Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; Angeles Val del Rio. 2018. "Pilot-scale ELAN ® process applied to treat primary settled urban wastewater at low temperature via partial nitritation-anammox processes." Separation and Purification Technology 200, no. : 94-101.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2018 in Process Biochemistry
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A pilot-scale Hybrid Membrane Bioreactor (HMBR) containing both suspended biomass and biofilm was tested for the treatment of a low strength municipal wastewater. The wastewater fed was characterized by a high variability throughout the day, low BOD5/TN ratio and low alkalinity (302 ± 52 mgCaCO3/L). For limiting membrane fouling, an innovative abrasive granular material has been proven in the Microdyn-Nadir membrane. Permeability ranged from 126 to 291 L/(h m2 bar) during the operational period, achieving a maximum flux of 24 L/(m2 h). A low BOD5/TN ratio of the raw wastewater, led to insufficient denitrification, with an average nitrogen removal of 49%. This fact, in turn, caused a decrease in the pH due to the lack of alkalinity. This study underlined that wastewaters characterized by high variability throughout the day, low BOD5/TN ratio and/or low alkalinity content require carefully design of the MBR systems. It was shown that a low pH in the HMBR led to a strong membrane fouling increasing cake resistances.

ACS Style

Alvaro Silva-Teira; José Ramón Vázquez-Padín; Rosa Weiler; Roberto Fernández-González; Frank Rogalla; Juan Manuel Garrido. Performance of a hybrid membrane bioreactor treating a low strength and alkalinity wastewater. Process Biochemistry 2018, 66, 176 -182.

AMA Style

Alvaro Silva-Teira, José Ramón Vázquez-Padín, Rosa Weiler, Roberto Fernández-González, Frank Rogalla, Juan Manuel Garrido. Performance of a hybrid membrane bioreactor treating a low strength and alkalinity wastewater. Process Biochemistry. 2018; 66 ():176-182.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alvaro Silva-Teira; José Ramón Vázquez-Padín; Rosa Weiler; Roberto Fernández-González; Frank Rogalla; Juan Manuel Garrido. 2018. "Performance of a hybrid membrane bioreactor treating a low strength and alkalinity wastewater." Process Biochemistry 66, no. : 176-182.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2017 in Separation and Purification Technology
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"This is the accepted manuscript of the following article: Pedrouso A., Val del Río Á., Morales N., Vázquez-Padín J. R., Campos J. L., Méndez R. and Mosquera-Corral A. (2017). Nitrite oxidizing bacteria suppression based on in-situ free nitrous acid production at mainstream conditions. Separation and Purification Technology 186, 55-62, which has been published in final form at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2017.05.043. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Elsevier."The application of autotrophic nitrogen removal processes in the main line of wastewater treatment plants will contribute to achieve its self-energy-sufficiency. However, the effective suppression of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) activity at the conditions of low temperature and low ammonium concentration (mainstream conditions) was identified as one of the main bottlenecks. In this study, stable partial nitritation at 16 °C and 50 mg NH4+-N/L was achieved maintaining inside the reactor free nitrous acid (FNA) concentrations inhibitory for NOB (>0.02 mg HNO2-N/L), without dissolved oxygen concentration control. The FNA inhibitory concentration was generated by the partial nitritation process, and its stimulation was studied with two different inhibitors: sodium azide and nitrite. The microbiological analysis revealed that, throughout the operational period with inhibitory FNA levels, the NOB populations (dominated by Nitrospira) were effectively washed out from the reactor. This is an advantage that allowed maintaining a good stability of the process, even when the FNA concentration was not enough to inhibit the NOB, taking about 40 days to develop significant activity. The observed delay on the NOB development is expected to enable the establishment of corrective actions to avoid the partial nitritation destabilization. The use of the FNA to achieve a stable partial nitritation process is recommended to profit from the natural pH decrease associated to the nitritation process and from its favoured accumulation at low temperatures as those from the mainstream. In this research study an analysis about the influence of ammonium and alkalinity concentrations was also performed to know in which scenarios the FNA inhibitory concentration can be achievedAuthors want to thank the Pioneer_STP (ID 199) project funded by the WaterWorks2014 Cofunded Call (Water JPI/Horizon 2020). This work was also funded by the Spanish Government through FISHPOL (CTQ2014-55021-R) and GRANDSEA (CTM2014-55397-JIN). The authors from the USC belong to CRETUS (AGRUP2015/02) and the Galician Competitive Research Group (GRC 2013-032). All these programs are co-funded by FEDER funds. This work was as well funded by the Chilean Government through the Project FONDECYT 1150285 and CONICYT/FONDAP/151300152019-05-26S

ACS Style

Alba Pedrouso; Ángeles Val del Río; Nicolás Morales; Jose R. Vázquez-Padín; Jose L. Campos; Ramón Méndez; Anuska Mosquera-Corral. Nitrite oxidizing bacteria suppression based on in-situ free nitrous acid production at mainstream conditions. Separation and Purification Technology 2017, 186, 55 -62.

AMA Style

Alba Pedrouso, Ángeles Val del Río, Nicolás Morales, Jose R. Vázquez-Padín, Jose L. Campos, Ramón Méndez, Anuska Mosquera-Corral. Nitrite oxidizing bacteria suppression based on in-situ free nitrous acid production at mainstream conditions. Separation and Purification Technology. 2017; 186 ():55-62.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alba Pedrouso; Ángeles Val del Río; Nicolás Morales; Jose R. Vázquez-Padín; Jose L. Campos; Ramón Méndez; Anuska Mosquera-Corral. 2017. "Nitrite oxidizing bacteria suppression based on in-situ free nitrous acid production at mainstream conditions." Separation and Purification Technology 186, no. : 55-62.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2016 in Process Biochemistry
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ACS Style

Nicolas Morales; Angeles Val Del Rio; José R. Vázquez-Padín; Ramón Méndez; José L. Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral. The granular biomass properties and the acclimation period affect the partial nitritation/anammox process stability at a low temperature and ammonium concentration. Process Biochemistry 2016, 51, 2134 -2142.

AMA Style

Nicolas Morales, Angeles Val Del Rio, José R. Vázquez-Padín, Ramón Méndez, José L. Campos, Anuska Mosquera-Corral. The granular biomass properties and the acclimation period affect the partial nitritation/anammox process stability at a low temperature and ammonium concentration. Process Biochemistry. 2016; 51 (12):2134-2142.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nicolas Morales; Angeles Val Del Rio; José R. Vázquez-Padín; Ramón Méndez; José L. Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral. 2016. "The granular biomass properties and the acclimation period affect the partial nitritation/anammox process stability at a low temperature and ammonium concentration." Process Biochemistry 51, no. 12: 2134-2142.

Journal article
Published: 16 November 2016 in Water Science and Technology
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A full-scale struvite crystallization system was operated for the treatment of the centrate obtained from the sludge anaerobic digester in a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Additionally, the feasibility of an industrial grade Mg(OH)2 as a cheap magnesium and alkali source was also investigated. The struvite crystallization plant was operated for two different periods: period I, in which an influent with low phosphate concentration (34.0 mg P·L−1) was fed to the crystallization plant; and period II, in which an influent with higher phosphate concentration (68.0 mg P·L−1) was used. A high efficiency of phosphorus recovery by struvite crystallization was obtained, even when the effluent treated had a high level of alkalinity. Phosphorus recovery percentage was around 77%, with a phosphate concentration in the effluent between 10.0 and 30.0 mg P·L−1. The experiments gained struvite pellets of 0.5–5.0 mm size. Moreover, the consumption of Mg(OH)2 was estimated at 1.5 mol Mg added·mol P recovered−1. Thus, industrial grade Mg(OH)2 can be an economical alternative as magnesium and alkali sources for struvite crystallization at industrial scale.

ACS Style

D. Crutchik; Nicolas Morales; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Juan M. Garrido. Enhancement of struvite pellets crystallization in a full-scale plant using an industrial grade magnesium product. Water Science and Technology 2016, 75, 609 -618.

AMA Style

D. Crutchik, Nicolas Morales, Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin, Juan M. Garrido. Enhancement of struvite pellets crystallization in a full-scale plant using an industrial grade magnesium product. Water Science and Technology. 2016; 75 (3):609-618.

Chicago/Turabian Style

D. Crutchik; Nicolas Morales; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Juan M. Garrido. 2016. "Enhancement of struvite pellets crystallization in a full-scale plant using an industrial grade magnesium product." Water Science and Technology 75, no. 3: 609-618.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2015 in Chemosphere
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Nowadays the application of Anammox based processes in the wastewater treatment plants has given a step forward. The new goal consists of removing the nitrogen present in the main stream of the WWTPs to improve their energetic efficiencies. This new approach aims to remove not only the nitrogen but also to provide a better use of the energy contained in the organic matter. The organic matter will be removed either by an anaerobic psychrophilic membrane reactor or an aerobic stage operated at low solids retention time followed by an anaerobic digestion of the generated sludge. Then ammonia coming from these units will be removed in an Anammox based process in a single unit system. The second strategy provides the best results in terms of operational costs and would allow reductions of about 28%. Recent research works performed on Anammox based processes and operated at relatively low temperatures and/or low ammonia concentrations were carried out in single-stage systems using biofilms, granules or a mixture of flocculent nitrifying and granular Anammox biomasses. These systems allowed the appropriated retention of Anammox and ammonia oxidizing bacteria but also the proliferation of nitrite oxidizing bacteria which seems to be the main drawback to achieve the required effluent quality for disposal. Therefore, prior to the implementation of the Anammox based processes at full scale to the water line, a reliable strategy to avoid nitrite oxidation should be defined in order to maintain the process stability and to obtain the desired effluent quality. If not, the application of a post-denitrification step should be necessary.

ACS Style

Nicolás Morales; Ángeles Val del Río; José Ramón Vázquez-Padín; Ramón Méndez; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; José Luis Campos. Integration of the Anammox process to the rejection water and main stream lines of WWTPs. Chemosphere 2015, 140, 99 -105.

AMA Style

Nicolás Morales, Ángeles Val del Río, José Ramón Vázquez-Padín, Ramón Méndez, Anuska Mosquera-Corral, José Luis Campos. Integration of the Anammox process to the rejection water and main stream lines of WWTPs. Chemosphere. 2015; 140 ():99-105.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nicolás Morales; Ángeles Val del Río; José Ramón Vázquez-Padín; Ramón Méndez; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; José Luis Campos. 2015. "Integration of the Anammox process to the rejection water and main stream lines of WWTPs." Chemosphere 140, no. : 99-105.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2015 in Water Research
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Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are extensively used and can therefore find their way into surface, groundwater and municipal and industrial effluents. In this work, the occurrence, fate and removal mechanisms of 19 selected PPCPs was investigated in an 'ELiminación Autótrofa de Nitrógeno' (ELAN) reactor of 200 L. In this configuration, ammonium oxidation to nitrite and the anoxic ammonium oxidation (anammox)processes occur simultaneously in a single-stage reactor under oxygen limited conditions. The ELAN process achieved high removal (>80%) of the studied hormones, naproxen, ibuprofen, bisphenol A and celestolide, while it was not effective in the removal of carbamazepine (<7%), diazepam (<7%) and fluoxetine (<30%). Biodegradation was the dominant removal mechanism, while sorption was only observed for musk fragrances, fluoxetine and triclosan. The sorption was strongly dependent on the granule size, with smaller granules facilitating the sorption of the target compounds. Increased hydraulic retention time enhanced the intramolecular diffusion of the PPCPs into the granules, and thus increased the solid phase concentration. The increase of nitritation rate favored the removal of ibuprofen, bisphenol A and triclosan, while the removal of erythromycin was strongly correlated to the anammox reaction rate.

ACS Style

T. Alvarino; Sonia Suarez; Evina Katsou; J. Vazquez-Padin; Juan Lema; Francisco Omil. Removal of PPCPs from the sludge supernatant in a one stage nitritation/anammox process. Water Research 2015, 68, 701 -709.

AMA Style

T. Alvarino, Sonia Suarez, Evina Katsou, J. Vazquez-Padin, Juan Lema, Francisco Omil. Removal of PPCPs from the sludge supernatant in a one stage nitritation/anammox process. Water Research. 2015; 68 ():701-709.

Chicago/Turabian Style

T. Alvarino; Sonia Suarez; Evina Katsou; J. Vazquez-Padin; Juan Lema; Francisco Omil. 2015. "Removal of PPCPs from the sludge supernatant in a one stage nitritation/anammox process." Water Research 68, no. : 701-709.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2014 in Science of The Total Environment
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The supernatant resulting from the anaerobic digestion of sludge generated by wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is an attractive flow for technologies such as partial nitritation-anammox (CANON), nitrite shortcut (NSC) and struvite crystallization processes (SCP). The high concentration of N and P and its low flow rate facilitate the removal of nutrients under more favorable conditions than in the main water line. Despite their operational and economic benefits, the environmental burdens of these technologies also need to be assessed to prove their feasibility under a more holistic perspective. The potential environmental implications of these technologies were assessed using life cycle assessment, first at pilot plant scale, later integrating them in a modeled full WWTP. Pilot plant results reported a much lower environmental impact for N removal technologies than SCP. Full-scale modeling, however, highlighted that the differences between technologies were not relevant once they are integrated in a WWTP. The impacts associated with the WWTP are slightly reduced in all categories except for eutrophication, where a substantial reduction was achieved using NSC, SCP, and especially when CANON and SCP were combined. This study emphasizes the need for assessing wastewater treatment technologies as part of a WWTP rather than as individual processes and the utility of modeling tools for doing so

ACS Style

G. Rodriguez-Garcia; N. Frison; J.R. Vázquez-Padín; A. Hospido; J.M. Garrido; F. Fatone; D. Bolzonella; M.T. Moreira; G. Feijoo. Life cycle assessment of nutrient removal technologies for the treatment of anaerobic digestion supernatant and its integration in a wastewater treatment plant. Science of The Total Environment 2014, 490, 871 -879.

AMA Style

G. Rodriguez-Garcia, N. Frison, J.R. Vázquez-Padín, A. Hospido, J.M. Garrido, F. Fatone, D. Bolzonella, M.T. Moreira, G. Feijoo. Life cycle assessment of nutrient removal technologies for the treatment of anaerobic digestion supernatant and its integration in a wastewater treatment plant. Science of The Total Environment. 2014; 490 ():871-879.

Chicago/Turabian Style

G. Rodriguez-Garcia; N. Frison; J.R. Vázquez-Padín; A. Hospido; J.M. Garrido; F. Fatone; D. Bolzonella; M.T. Moreira; G. Feijoo. 2014. "Life cycle assessment of nutrient removal technologies for the treatment of anaerobic digestion supernatant and its integration in a wastewater treatment plant." Science of The Total Environment 490, no. : 871-879.

Evaluation study
Published: 19 December 2013 in Water Science and Technology
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The feasibility of treating the supernatant of a municipal sludge digester supplemented with co-substrates by means of an anammox-based process (ELAN®) was tested in Guillarei (NW of Spain). Ammonia concentration measured in the supernatant of the sludge digester varied in the range 800–1,500 g N/m3 due to the fact that the sludge produced in the plant was co-digested with wastes coming from surrounding food industries. Treating this supernatant in the ELAN® reactor, nitrogen removal rates up to 1.1 kg N/(m3 d) were reached in experiments run in a pilot plant reactor operated in batch mode. No nitrite oxidation was registered after several months of operation despite the average dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations being 1.5 g O2/m3 and the temperature reaching values as low as 18 °C. By keeping the DO set point at 1–2 g O2/m3 and tuning the hydraulic retention time, the stability of the process was guaranteed and the presence of co-substrates in the anaerobic digester did not affect negatively the operation of the autotrophic nitrogen removal process. Due to the success of the pilot plant experiment, an upscale of the process to full scale is proposed. Mass balances applied to Guillarei wastewater treatment plant revealed that in the main stream line the average denitrification rate calculated with the data of year 2011 was 226 kg N/d. Since the nitrogen removal efficiency is limited by the amount of readily biodegradable organic matter available to carry out denitrification in the water line, the implementation of an anammox-based process to treat the supernatant seems the best option to improve the effluent quality in terms of nitrogen content. The nitrogen removal rate in the sludge line would be 30 times higher than the one in the water line. The implementation of the process would improve the energetic balance and the nitrogen removal performance of the plant.

ACS Style

J. R. Vázquez-Padín; Nicolas Morales; R. Gutiérrez; R. Fernández; F. Rogalla; J. P. Barrio; J. L. Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; R. Méndez. Implications of full-scale implementation of an anammox-based process as post-treatment of a municipal anaerobic sludge digester operated with co-digestion. Water Science and Technology 2013, 69, 1151 -1158.

AMA Style

J. R. Vázquez-Padín, Nicolas Morales, R. Gutiérrez, R. Fernández, F. Rogalla, J. P. Barrio, J. L. Campos, Anuska Mosquera-Corral, R. Méndez. Implications of full-scale implementation of an anammox-based process as post-treatment of a municipal anaerobic sludge digester operated with co-digestion. Water Science and Technology. 2013; 69 (6):1151-1158.

Chicago/Turabian Style

J. R. Vázquez-Padín; Nicolas Morales; R. Gutiérrez; R. Fernández; F. Rogalla; J. P. Barrio; J. L. Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; R. Méndez. 2013. "Implications of full-scale implementation of an anammox-based process as post-treatment of a municipal anaerobic sludge digester operated with co-digestion." Water Science and Technology 69, no. 6: 1151-1158.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2012 in Process Biochemistry
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M. Belmonte; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Mónica Figueroa; J.L. Campos; R. Méndez; G. Vidal; Anuska Mosquera-Corral. Denitrifying activity via nitrite and N2O production using acetate and swine wastewater. Process Biochemistry 2012, 47, 1202 -1206.

AMA Style

M. Belmonte, Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin, Mónica Figueroa, J.L. Campos, R. Méndez, G. Vidal, Anuska Mosquera-Corral. Denitrifying activity via nitrite and N2O production using acetate and swine wastewater. Process Biochemistry. 2012; 47 (7):1202-1206.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Belmonte; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Mónica Figueroa; J.L. Campos; R. Méndez; G. Vidal; Anuska Mosquera-Corral. 2012. "Denitrifying activity via nitrite and N2O production using acetate and swine wastewater." Process Biochemistry 47, no. 7: 1202-1206.

Journal article
Published: 01 June 2012 in Biochemical Engineering Journal
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ACS Style

Mónica Figueroa; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; Jose Luis Campos; Ramón Méndez. Is the CANON reactor an alternative for nitrogen removal from pre-treated swine slurry? Biochemical Engineering Journal 2012, 65, 23 -29.

AMA Style

Mónica Figueroa, Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin, Anuska Mosquera-Corral, Jose Luis Campos, Ramón Méndez. Is the CANON reactor an alternative for nitrogen removal from pre-treated swine slurry? Biochemical Engineering Journal. 2012; 65 ():23-29.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mónica Figueroa; Jose Ramon Vazquez-Padin; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; Jose Luis Campos; Ramón Méndez. 2012. "Is the CANON reactor an alternative for nitrogen removal from pre-treated swine slurry?" Biochemical Engineering Journal 65, no. : 23-29.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2011 in Water Science and Technology
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In this work the autotrophic nitrogen removal was carried out at moderately low temperatures using two configurations: a) two-units one comprising a SHARON reactor coupled to an Anammox SBR and b) single-unit one consisting of a granular SBR performing the CANON process. At 20°C the two-units system was limited by the Anammox step and its nitrogen removal capacity was around ten times lower than the CANON system (0.08 g N/(L d) versus 1 g N/(L d)). When the CANON system was operated at 15°C the average removed nitrogen loading rate decreased to 0.2 g N/(L d). The CANON system was operated in order to limit the ammonia oxidation rate to avoid nitrite inhibition of Anammox bacteria. Since both, temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration regulate ammonia oxidizing bacteria activity, once the temperature of the reactor is decreased the DO concentration must be decreased to avoid the deeper oxygen penetration inside the granule which could cause inhibition of Anammox bacteria by oxygen and/or nitrite.

ACS Style

J. R. Vázquez-Padín; I. Fernández; N. Morales; J. L. Campos; A. Mosquera-Corral; R. Méndez. Autotrophic nitrogen removal at low temperature. Water Science and Technology 2011, 63, 1282 -1288.

AMA Style

J. R. Vázquez-Padín, I. Fernández, N. Morales, J. L. Campos, A. Mosquera-Corral, R. Méndez. Autotrophic nitrogen removal at low temperature. Water Science and Technology. 2011; 63 (6):1282-1288.

Chicago/Turabian Style

J. R. Vázquez-Padín; I. Fernández; N. Morales; J. L. Campos; A. Mosquera-Corral; R. Méndez. 2011. "Autotrophic nitrogen removal at low temperature." Water Science and Technology 63, no. 6: 1282-1288.

Journal article
Published: 15 September 2010 in Biochemical Engineering Journal
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The effects of high salinity conditions (up to 30 g NaCl L−1) on the efficiency and activity of the Anammox process were studied in a sequencing batch reactor. The use of the estimated maximum Specific Anammox Activity (SAA) was evaluated as a monitoring parameter of the performance of the process. The SAA values obtained from biomass adapted under the same salinity conditions and collected from the reactor could be used to calculate the maximum capacity of the system and, therefore, to predict its efficiency at a certain operation condition. Batch assays carried out with non-adapted and adapted Anammox biomass at different salt concentrations indicated a stimulatory effect on the SAA at concentrations up to 6 and 15 g NaCl L−1 while higher salt concentrations caused a decrease in the activity. The addition of salt enhanced the aggregation of Anammox biomass in granules with a consequent decrease in the Sludge Volumetric Index from 80 to 25 mL g VSS−1. The system was able to treat a nitrite loading rate around 0.32 g NO2−-N L−1 d−1 when salt concentrations of 15 g L−1 of NaCl were present in the feeding, with nitrogen removal efficiencies of 99%. The Anammox process exhibited high resistance to the presence of high NaCl concentrations being then recommended to remove nitrogen from effluents with high salt concentrations.

ACS Style

A. Dapena-Mora; J.R. Vázquez-Padín; J.L. Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; M.S.M. Jetten; R. Méndez. Monitoring the stability of an Anammox reactor under high salinity conditions. Biochemical Engineering Journal 2010, 51, 167 -171.

AMA Style

A. Dapena-Mora, J.R. Vázquez-Padín, J.L. Campos, Anuska Mosquera-Corral, M.S.M. Jetten, R. Méndez. Monitoring the stability of an Anammox reactor under high salinity conditions. Biochemical Engineering Journal. 2010; 51 (3):167-171.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Dapena-Mora; J.R. Vázquez-Padín; J.L. Campos; Anuska Mosquera-Corral; M.S.M. Jetten; R. Méndez. 2010. "Monitoring the stability of an Anammox reactor under high salinity conditions." Biochemical Engineering Journal 51, no. 3: 167-171.