Application of the microbial process of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) in biotechnological wastewater treatment

This review covers various aspects of the process of anaerobic ammonium oxidation by nitrite with the formation of molecular nitrogen called ANAMMOX (ANaerobic AMMonium Oxidation). Anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria are briefly described, including their phylogenetics, habitat, and morphological and physiological characteristics. The current views on the biochemistry of the microbial nitrite reduction by ammonium are presented. The review is focused on biotechnological wastewater treatment based on the ANAMMOX process. Various nitrogen removal technologies using this process, namely, the SHARONANAMMOX CANON and DEAMOX BC-DEAMOX, and their practical use are reviewed. Various types of reactors and set ups using the ANAMMOX process that are applied to the treatment of wastewater are analyzed. Processing methods for slowly growing ANAMMOX bacterial biomass accumulation aimed at subsequent inoculation in reactors are analyzed. The problems and methods for ANAMMOX bacterial biomass immobilization in reactors and on carriers are described. A description and parameters of laboratory and pilot plants utilizing various high-ammonia wastewater are given. Examples of the currently operating full-scale industrial setups with the ANAMMOX process implementation, including those for the complex biochemical treatment of domestic sewage (BC-DEAMOX) constructed by EKOS (Russia) at the Olympic facilities in the Sochi region, are discussed.