The Effect of Different Filling Materials in Anammox Bacteria Enrichment

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) is a process that ammonium as electron donor is oxidized to nitrogen gas using nitrite as electron acceptor. Compared to conventional nitrification-denitrification processes, this process is used less oxygen and no organic material (methanol, glucose). However, the slow growth rate of Anammox bacteria (11-30 days) is disadvantages. Therefore, batch reactors have been carried out in these bacteria enrichment. In this study continuously operated upflow anaerobic sludge reactor (UASB) using different filling materials disposing of sensitive and slow-growing Anammox bacteria out of the system is purposed. System is operated up-flow column reactor at 2 days hydraulic retention time (HRT). In this study, ceramic stones and Linpor filling material are used. Both filling material reactors are operated in 45 days. Ceramic stones filling reactor is observed quickly reaches 90% were used reactor ammonium removal. The ammonium nitrogen removal was slower in Linpor filling materials reactor. Nitrite removal is reached up to 90% in both the reactor. When compared to the stoichiometric equation in Linpor was composed of large amounts of nitrate. At the end of 25 days the results were similar to ceramic stone filling reactor with Linpor filling material reactors.