Development of a novel partial nitrification, fermentation-based double denitrification bioprocess (PN-F-Double/DN) to simultaneous treatment of mature landfill leachate and waste activated sludge.

Introducing fermentation technology into sewage treatment is a sustainable development concept, but future application still faces many challenges. A novel partial nitrification, fermentation-based double denitrification bioprocess (PN-F-Double/DN) was achieved in three separated SBR type reactors, simultaneously treating high ammonia (1766.6 mg/L) mature landfill leachate and external waste activated sludge (WAS, MLSS = 20.6 g/L). Firstly, NH-N was oxidized to NO-N in partial nitrification reactor (PN-SBR), with nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) of 96.5%. Next, the PN-SBR effluent (NO-N = 1529.8 mg/L) coupled with the WAS were introduced to an anoxic reactor for integrated fermentation-denitrification (IFD-SBR). The occurrence of fermentation was mainly attributed to free nitrous acid (FNA, nitrite protonate form) promoting the splitting decomposition of sludge spatial configuration and interfacial forces. The released volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were utilized in situ during the denitrification process (NO-N→N), obtaining 0.6 kg/m•d nitrogen removal rate and 3.3 kg/m•d sludge reduction rate. Finally, undesirable fermentation by-products from IFD-SBR (NH-N = 119.2 mg/L) were further removed in the endogenous post-denitrification reactor (EPD-SBR) through operational strategy of anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic by residual VFAs as the carbon source. In the EPD-SBR, Defluviicoccus (0.9%) and Candidatus Competibacter (5.8%) dominated carbon source storage and nitrogen removal, acting as a typical denitrifying glycogen-accumulating organism (DGAO), with an intracellular carbon storage efficiency of 83.1% and nitrogen removal contribution of 93.7%. After 200 days of operation, the PN-F-Double/DN process provided effluent containing, on average, 1.86 mg/L NH-N and 5.5 mg/L NO-N, with 98.5% TN removal. Compared with traditional bioprocesses, PN-F-Double/DN allowed up to 25% saving in aeration energy consumption, 100% decrease in carbon source demand, and achieve 46.1% external WAS reduction.