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In this study, a hydrogen-based denitrification (HD) reactor was used to investigate the simultaneous treatment of nitrogen and decolorization in textile wastewater contaminated with organic matter. The reactor operated in two phases: without and with organic matter. Despite the short hydraulic retention time, the HD system successfully removed all pollutants, including nitrate, nitrite, reactive black-5 dye and chemical oxygen demand. The unhindered treatment efficiency for nitrogen and decolorization in the presence of organic pollutants was observed. With the addition of organic matter, the nitrogen removal efficiency increased slightly from 85% to 90–100%, and the decolorization rate doubled from 25% to 50–60%. Organic matter played a crucial role in stimulating heterotrophic bacteria during biological denitrification and acted as a carbon source facilitating biological denitrification and azo bond cleavage during dye degradation. Despite the generation of toxic byproducts and changes in the dominant microbial community, the treatment efficiency remained stable and improved. This approach offers a promising solution for enhancing treatment efficiency in textile wastewater, providing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option for developing countries to treat wastewater before discharge.

The efficacy of a fine bubble (FB) diffuser in enhancing the performance of an attached biofilm hydrogenotrophic denitrification (HD) reactor was evaluated. HD reactors equipped with an FB diffuser (FB reactor) and an air stone (AS) diffuser that produced ordinary bubbles (AS reactor) were operated in parallel at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) in a synthetic groundwater treatment experiment. A reduction in H2 consumption of approximately 77% was achieved using the FB diffuser to reach a gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient similar to that of the AS diffuser. The high gas dissolution efficiency of the FB diffuser resulted in an effective nitrogen removal rate (NRR) enhancement, requiring less H2 supply. The highest value of NRR at 53.0±9.8 g-N/m3/d was obtained in the FB reactor at a minimum HRT of 3 h, which was two-fold higher than the corresponding value from the AS reactor. The FB reactor also had the lowest requirement of H2 for denitrification reaching 0.1 m3-H2/g-N in this condition, which was ten-fold lower than that in the AS reactor. Furthermore, the suspended sludge concentration in the FB reactor was lower than that in the AS reactor, indicating that the application of the FB diffuser can minimize excess suspended sludge accumulation inside the HD reactor. Microbial community analysis showed the predominance of Thauera spp. reaching a relative abundance of 15.7–27.3% in the FB reactor, suggesting a contribution to the HD. This finding can provide insight into the application of the FB diffuser for optimizing nitrate-contaminated groundwater treatment technology by HD.

Nitrite accumulation in hydrogen-based denitrification (HD) has been reported as a difficulty for achieving complete denitrification. Thauera sp. has been found as the dominant bacterial species in HD previously when using a plentiful amount of HCO3−. This present study was successful in isolating Pseudomonas sp., Dietzia sp., Pannonibacter sp., Halomonas sp., Bacillus sp., and Thauera sp. These isolated strains were selected for investigating the nitrogen removal performance under the plentiful HCO3− condition. Only Pseudomonas sp. and Thauera sp. were capable of removing NO2− where the specific NO2− removal rate of Thauera sp. (36.02 ± 5.66 mgN gVSS−1 day−1) was 9 times quicker than that of Pseudomonas sp. (3.94 ± 0.80 mgN gVSS−1 day−1). The Thauera sp. strain was then tested at different HCO3− amounts. As a result, Thauera sp. had no ability to function both NO3− and NO2− removals under HCO3− deficit condition. This study provided evidence on the role of Thauera sp. and the necessity of bicarbonate in the hydrogen-based denitrification process to enhance its efficiency and to simultaneously reduce the operational cost especially for hydrogen.

The physicochemical and biological characteristics of milli-microbubbles were compared to evaluate their performance on hydrogenotrophic denitrification (HD) for groundwater treatment in remote areas. The hydrogen supply was controlled at 1.14 L/d with 40 mgN/L of NO3-N. The microbial community structure in two bubble reactors was investigated by high throughput sequencing. Microbubbles enhanced biodegradation in the HD system, providing a maximum nitrogen removal efficiency of 99%. Approximately 50% of total hydrogen was utilized for biological nitrate removal with the highest hydrogen effectiveness achieved at 1.21 g N/g H2. In contrast, millibubbles achieved less than 10% efficiency and 9.9% of total hydrogen was consumed for biological nitrogen removal. Thaueraspp., Hydrogenophagaspp. and Rhodocyclaceaeof Proteobacteriaphylum were the dominant bacteria in the microbubble reactor, whereas Methyloversatilis spp.was dominant in the millibubble reactor, in which a relatively low amount of hydrogen (0.6 mg/L) was dissolved. The differences can be attributed to the higher hydrogen transfer efficiency (45×10-3s-1) and lower rising velocity (0.31 mm/s) of the microbubbles system than the millibubbles system (2×10-3s-1and 480 mm/s). The micro-hydrogen bubble technology affords increased hydrogen effectiveness, reduced energy consumption, and modified system design. Therefore, it is more appropriate for enhancing HD.

High nitrate-nitrogen (NO3−–N) content is a typical feature of groundwater, which is the primary water source in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Considering the Kathmandu Valley’s current problem of water scarcity, a user-friendly system for removing NO3−–N from groundwater is promptly desired. In this study, a simplified hydrogenotrophic denitrification (HD) reactor was developed for the Kathmandu Valley, and its effectiveness was evaluated by its ability to treat raw groundwater. The reactor operated for 157 days and showed stability and robustness. It had an average nitrogen removal efficiency of 80.9 ± 16.1%, and its nitrogen loading rate and nitrogen removal rate varied from 23.8 to 92.3 g–N/(m3∙d) and from 18.3 to 73.7 g–N/(m3∙d), respectively. Compared to previous HD reactors, this simplified HD reactor is a more user-friendly option for the Kathmandu Valley, as most of the materials used for the reactor were locally available and require less maintenance. The reactor is recommended for groundwater treatment at the household level. It has a current treatment capacity of 40 L/d, which can fulfill the daily requirements for drinking and cooking water in a household with 4–5 people.

The abundance and diversity of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria were assessed in 152 groundwater samples in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Anammox bacterial 16S rRNA genes were detected in 54% (37/68) of samples collected in the dry season at 1.6×105–8.8×106 copies L–1, and in 60% (50/84) of samples collected in the wet season at 4.3×104–1.2×107 copies L–1. The 16S rRNA genes of “Candidatus Brocadia”, “Candidatus Anammoxoglobus”, and five new deduced anammox bacterial phylotypes were detected in the shallow groundwater samples. Diverse anammox bacteria were broadly distributed in the shallow groundwater aquifer of the Kathmandu Valley.

A dropping nitrification reactor was proposed as a low-cost and energy-saving option for the removal of NH4+-N from contaminated groundwater. The objectives of this study were to investigate NH4+-N removal performance and the nitrogen removal pathway and to characterize the microbial communities in the reactor. Polyolefin sponge cubes (10 mm &times, 10 mm &times, 10 mm) were connected diagonally in a nylon thread to produce 1 m long dropping nitrification units. Synthetic groundwater containing 50 mg L&minus, 1 NH4+-N was added from the top of the hanging units at a flow rate of 4.32 L day&minus, 1 for 56 days. Nitrogen-oxidizing microorganisms in the reactor removed 50.8&ndash, 68.7% of the NH4+-N in the groundwater, which was aerated with atmospheric oxygen as it flowed downwards through the sponge units. Nitrogen transformation and the functional bacteria contributing to it were stratified in the sponge units. Nitrosomonadales-like AOB predominated and transformed NH4+-N to NO2&minus, N in the upper part of the reactor. Nitrospirales-like NOB predominated and transformed NO2&minus, N to NO3&minus, N in the lower part of the reactor. The dropping nitrification reactor could be a promising technology for oxidizing NH4+-N in groundwater and other similar contaminated wastewaters.

Nitrate removal during anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) treatment is a concern for optimization of the anammox process. This study demonstrated the applicability and long-term stability of the coupled anammox and hydrogenotrophic denitrification (CAHD) process as an alternative method for nitrate removal. Laboratory-scale fixed bed anammox reactors (FBR) supplied with H2 to support denitrification were operated under two types of synthetic water. The FBRs showed simultaneous NH4-N and NO3-N removal, indicating that the CAHD process can support NO3-N removal during the anammox process. Intermittent H2 supply (e.g. 5 mL/min for a 1-L reactor, 14/6-min on/off cycle) helped maintain the CAHD process without deteriorating its performance under long-term operation and resulted in a nitrogen removal rate of 0.21 kg-N/m3/d and ammonium, nitrate, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen removal efficiencies of 73.4%, 80.4%, and 77%, respectively. The microbial community structure related to the CAHD process was not influenced by changes in influent water quality, and included the anammox bacteria ‘Candidatus Jettenia’ and a Sulfuritalea hydrogenivorans-like species as the dominant bacteria even after long-term reactor operation, suggesting that these bacteria are key to the CAHD process. These results indicate that the CAHD process is a promising method for enhancing the efficiency of anammox process.

The increasing concentration of nitrogen compounds in the groundwater is of a growing concern in terms of human health and groundwater quality. Although an excess of nitrogen compounds in the groundwater of the Kathmandu Valley has been reported, the seasonal variations of the fate of the nitrogen compounds and their relationships to the subsurface sediments are unknown. In this study, spatially distributed shallow dug well samples were collected during both the dry and wet seasons of 2016, and the nitrogen compound, chloride (Cl&minus, ), and iron (Fe2+) concentrations were analyzed. Two shallow dug wells and one deep tube well were monitored monthly for 2 years. Although NH4-N concentrations were similar in the clay-dominated areas during both seasons (1 and 0.9 mg-N/L), they were lower in the gravel-dominated areas during wet season (1.8 &gt, 0.6 mg-N/L). The NO3-N concentration differed depending upon the soil type which increased during the wet season (clay 4.9 &lt, 13.6 mg-N/L and gravel 2.5 &lt, 6.8 mg-N/L). The Fe2+ concentration, however, was low during the wet season (clay 2.7 &gt, 0.4 mg/L and gravel 2.8 &gt, 0.3 mg/L). Long-term analysis showed higher fluctuation of nitrogen compounds in the gravel-bearing areas than in the clay-bearing areas.

Groundwater available in the Kathmandu Valley is not suitable for drinking due to chemical and microbial contamination. We installed a treatment system, which was made with locally available materials and was low-cost, and supplied drinking water to the intervention site where groundwater contains high amounts of ammonia, iron, and turbidity. This research aims to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of treated water distribution. One hundred households were randomly selected and asked to use treated water for drinking, and another 100 households in the nearby community were taken randomly as a control. We conducted questionnaire surveys with the enrolled households before and five months after starting water distribution to assess the water use patterns and quality perceptions. The socioeconomic impact of the intervention was evaluated by a prepost comparison and by the difference-in-difference method. The intervention significantly enhanced most of the parameters of water quality perception, reduced the in-house water treatment, and improved the perceived water stress and quality of life. For the control site, these parameters generally became worse in the post-survey, which suggests that the survey might have affected people&rsquo, s mindset regarding water security. The system is an option for sustainable management of drinking water in the water-scarce, hard-hit areas in the developing countries.

Nitrate removal during anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) treatment is a concern for optimization of the anammox process. This study demonstrated the applicability and long-term stability of the coupled anammox and hydrogenotrophic denitrification (CAHD) process as an alternative method for nitrate removal. Laboratory-scale fixed bed anammox reactors (FBR) supplied with H

EnvironmentAsia, 12, special, 54-63

A drinking water supply system operates at Chyasal (in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal) for purifying the groundwater that has high levels of ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N). However, high NO3-N concentrations were seen in the water after treatment. To further improve the quality of the drinking water, two types of attached growth reactors were developed for the purification system: (i) a hydrogenotrophic denitrification (HD reactor) and (ii) a concurrent reactor with anammox and hydrogenotrophic denitrification (AnHD reactor). For the HD reactor fed by water containing NO3-N, the denitrification efficiency was high (95-98%) for all NO3-N feed rates (20-40 mg/L). The nitrite-nitrogen (NO2-N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in the effluent were ∼0.5 mg/L. On the other hand, the AnHD reactor fed with water containing NH4-N and NO2-N was operated under varying flow rates of H2(30-70 mL/min) and intermittent supply periods (1-2 h). The efficiency of the anammox process was found to increase with decreasing H2flow rates or with increasing intermittency of the H2supply, while the efficiency of denitrification decreased under these conditions. For the optimal condition of 1.5 h intermittent H2supply, the anammox and denitrification efficiencies of the AnHD reactor reached 80% and 42%, respectively, while the concentrations of both NH4-N and NO2-N in the effluent were1.0 mg/L, and no NO3-N was detected. From the experimental results, it is clear that both HD and AnHD reactors can function as efficient and critical units of the water purification system.

Supplement 1, 11, NARESUAN UNIVERSITY ENGINEERING JOURNAL