Nitrogen removal from agro-industrial wastewater using bioreactors

Nitrogen removal from agro-industrial wastewater using bioreactors. This work evaluates the process of nitrogen removal from wastewater at a meat processing plant, using nitrification and denitrification in bioreactors. The system was composed of two reactors with continuous flow operated in series: a hybrid reactor (anaerobic/anoxic) connected to an ascending flow biological filter with aeration, which recycled into the hybrid reactor. Feeding was accomplished with wastewater from the treatment station of a poultry and swine processing plant. The process was monitored by periodic analysis of the concentrations of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and pH. The nitrogen removal efficiency of the system was compared with the maximum theoretical efficiency for the recycle rate used.