The Efficiency of Nitrogen Compounds Removal in Wastewater Treatment Plant

In sewage treatment plants for removing nitrogen compounds are used biological processes of nitrification and denitrification. The parameters determining the efficiency of biological processes of nitrogen removal are organic carbon ratio (BOD₅) to total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), temperature and pH. The impact of these parameters on the operation of the sewage treatment plant with an RLM of 45,000 based on operational data from the period 2011-2013 has been assessed. The efficiency of removing nitrogen compounds from sewage in the analysed treatment plant depended on the temperature of sewage and the quotient BOD₅/TKN. Even at the optimal ranges of BOD₅/TKN ratio temperature at 10°C nitrogen concentration in the treated wastewater was about 3 times higher than the limit value, and the removal efficiency of nitrogen varied between about 30 to 60%.