Performance of the anammox sequencing batch reactor treating synthetic and real landfill leachate

The anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process is one of the most energy efficient and environmentally-friendly bioprocess for the treatment of the wastewater with high nitrogen concentration. The aim of this work was to study the influence of the high nitrogen loading rate (NLR) on the nitrogen removal in the laboratory-scale anammox sequencing batch reactor (SBR), during the shift from the synthetic wastewater to landfill leachate. In both cases with the increase of NLR from 0.5 to 1.1 – 1.2 kg N/m³d, the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) increases to about 1 kg N/m³d, but higher NLR caused substrates accumulation and affects anammox process efficiency. Maximum specific anammox activity was determined as 0.638 g N/g VSS·d (NRR 1.023 kg N/m³·d) and 0.594 g N/g VSS·d (NRR 1.241 kg N/m³·d) during synthetic and real wastewater treatment, respectively. Both values are similar and this is probably the nitrogen removal capacity of the used anammox biomass. This indicates, that landfill leachate did not influence the nitrogen removal capacity of the anammox process.