Denitrification kinetics of high nitrate concentration water: pH effect on inhibition and nitrite accumulation

The effect of pH variation, within the range 6.5, 7.0, 7.5, 8.5 and 9, on activated sludge denitrification of a synthetic wastewater containing 2700 mg/l NO3-N was examined using bench-scale Sequencing Batch Reactors. Two major effects were observed. One, at pH values of 6.5 and 7.0, denitrification of a synthetic wastewater containing high nitrate levels was significantly inhibited. Two, denitrification was achieved at higher pH values of 7.5, 8.5 and 9.0, but the accumulation of nitrite increased significantly as mixed liquor pH increased with peak values of 250, 500 and 900 mg/l NO2-N, respectively. As the pH rose, the specific rate of nitrate reduction increased. At the same time the specific rate of nitrite reduction increased in the absence of nitrate. In the presence of nitrate the specific rate of nitrite reduction remained constant, and the degree to which nitrite reduction increased in the absence of nitrate was a function of increasing pH. While increasing pH from 7.5 to 9.0 affected nitrite intermediate accumulation, the overall time for complete denitrification (reduction of both NO−3 and NO−2) was similar for the pH values of 7.5, 8.5 and 9.