Towards mainstream deammonification: Comprehensive review on potential mainstream applications and developed sidestream technologies

Deammonification (partial nitritation-anammox) process is a favorable and innovative process, for treatment of nitrogen-rich wastewater due to decreased oxygen and carbon requirements at very high nitrogen loadings. The bacterial groups responsible for this process are anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria in symbiosis with ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) which have an active role in development of nitrogen removal biotechnology in wastewater. Development and operation of sidestream deammonification processes has augmented since the initial full-scale systems, yet there are several aspects which mandate additional investigation and deliberation by the practitioners, to reach the operating perspective, set for the facility. Process technologies for treatment of streams with high ammonia concentrations continue to emerge, correspondingly, further investigation towards feasibility of applying the deammonification concept, in the mainstream treatment process is required. Mainstream deammonification can potentially improve the process of achieving more sustainable and energy-neutral municipal wastewater treatment, however feasible applications are not accessible yet. This critical review focuses on a comprehensive assessment of the worldwide lab-scale, pilot-scale and full-scale sidestream applications as well as identifying the major issues obstructing the implementation of mainstream processes, in addition to the designs, operational factors and technology advancements at both novel and/or conventional levels. This review aims to provide a novel and broad overview of the status and challenges of both sidestream and mainstream deammonification technologies and installations worldwide to assess the global perspectives on deammonification research in the recent years. The different configurations, crucial factors and overall trends in the development of deammonification research are discussed and conclusively, the future needs for feasible applications are critically reviewed.