ABSTRACT
Industries producing highly concentrated nitrogenous waste streams include chemical fertilizers, munitions, nuclear fuel processing, and semi-conductor manufacturing, among others. Regeneram streams from ion exchangers used to remove contaminants from drinking or process waters may also present problems in treatment and disposal of strong nitrogenous wastes. Biological nitrification and denitrification have been applied to tertiary treatment of low-strength municipal wastewaters, with nitrogen concentrations typically < 50 mg/L. Limited studies have shown the potential of these processes to treat nitrogen concentrations > 1,000 mg/L efficiently, particularly in the absence of significant amounts of biodegradable organic matter.
