Formation and removal of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in membrane bioreactor and conventional activated sludge processes

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) has become a growing concern due to its contribution to eutrophication and nitrogenous disinfection byproducts (N-DBPs) formation. However, information of DON in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) is very limited. In this study, occurrence, transformation and fate of DON in an MBR system were systematically investigated. MBR sludge showed a larger hydrolysis rate of particle organic nitrogen (PON) and also a higher transformation rate of DON to nitrate compared to conventional activated sludge (CAS). For long-term experiments, MBR achieved higher DON removal efficiency at low temperature than CAS; however, at high temperature, the effluent DON concentrations were almost the same in both systems. Batch tests on DON biodegradability showed that DON concentration increased and large molecular weight DON accumulated after 3-h aeration at low temperature, while DON concentration continuously decreased with the increase of aeration time at high temperature. The obtained results provide insights in DON removal in MBRs for meeting increasingly stringent regulations in terms of nitrogen removal.