Effect of varying salinity, temperature, ammonia and nitrous acid concentrations on nitrification of saline wastewater in fixed-bed reactors

Nitrification under changing salinities (0–9%), temperatures (6–50 °C), ammonia (0–5 g N L−1) and nitrite concentrations (0–0.4 g N L−1) was investigated in fixed-bed reactors. For all conditions ammonia oxidation rates (AOR) were lower than nitrite oxidation rates (NOR). AORs and NORs increased from 12.5 to 40 °C and were very low at 6 °C and almost zero at 50 °C. No recovery of nitrification was obtained after incubation at 50 °C, whereas nitrification was restorable after incubation at 6 °C. Ammonia concentrations of 5 g N L−1 or nitrite concentrations up to 0.125 g N L−1 decreased AOR to almost zero. AORs and NORs recovered if ammonia or nitrite was removed. At concentrations of 1 and 5 g N L−1 ammonia AOR and NOR were inhibited by 50%, whereas 27 mg N/L nitrite inhibited AOR by 50%.