Kinetic Modeling of Inhibition of Ammonia Oxidation by Nitrite under Low Dissolved Oxygen Conditions

Abstract

In recent years the application of partial nitrification techniques has been denoted as very promising. These methods are based on the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and the inhibition of the nitratation using different strategies. In most cases, this inhibition causes an increase in the concentration of nitrite. However, the effect of high nitrite concentrations under low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions on the nitrification process is not well understood. In this paper, the effect of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations on the nitrification process under low dissolved oxygen concentrations were studied using respirometric techniques. Results showed that the specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) followed a Monod-type equation with respect to the DO concentration. The coefficient