Modelling nitrous and nitric oxide emissions by autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria

The emission of greenhouse gases, such as N2O, from wastewater treatment plants is a matter of growing concern. Denitrification by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) has been identified as the main N2O producing pathway. To estimate N2O emissions during biological nitrogen removal, reliable mathematical models are essential. In this work, a mathematical model for NO (a precursor for N2O formation) and N2O formation by AOB is presented. Based on mechanistic grounds, two possible reaction mechanisms for NO and N2O formation are distinguished, which differ in the origin of the reducing equivalents needed for denitrification by AOB. These two scenarios have been compared in a simulation study, assessing the influence of the aeration/stripping rate and the resulting dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration on the NO and N2O emission from a SHARON partial nitritation reactor. The study of the simulated model behaviour and its comparison with previously published experimental data serves in elucidating the true NO and N2O formation mechanism.