Industrial wastewater as an external carbon source for optimization of nitrogen removal at the “Wschod” WWTP in Gdansk (Poland)

Carbon source alternatives for denitrification belong to the highest research area priorities as they allow to optimize N removal within the existing capacities. In particular, some food industry effluents appear to be good candidates for such alternatives due to their high C/N ratios and high content of readily biodegradable organic fraction. The aim of this study was to determine the immediate effects of dosing different types of industrial wastewater on the denitrification capability of process biomass originating from the “Wschod” WWTP in Gdansk (northern Poland). Three types of industrial wastewater (effluents from a distillery, brewery and fish-pickling factory) were tested in two kinds of batch experiments. The results of this study revealed that the investigated industrial wastewater can be a potential external carbon source to improve denitrification efficiency. The observed single nitrate utilization rates (NURs) were ranging from 2.4 to 6.0 g N/(kg VSS·h) and were comparable to the rates associated with the utilization of readily biodegradable COD in the settled wastewater. When the NURs were measured during anoxic P uptake, the P uptake rates did not appear to be adversely affected by the addition of any carbon source.