The feasibility of removing nitrogen from mature landfill leachate using the nitrite route was investigated in a two-stage SBR system - (1º first stage, short-cut nitrification; second stage, denitrification via nitrite. With a volumetric exchange rate (n) of 0.3 d-1 and an oxygen concentration of between 1.2 and 1.3 mg/L, the nitrite accumulation ratio - (NO2-N)×100/(NOx-N)% - was between 32% and 37%. For the same hydraulic retention time, but lower oxygen concentration - between 0.8 and 0.9 mg/L - nitrite accumulation averaged 96%, indicating that ammonia was removed completely via the nitrite pathway. In the second step, an external carbon source was added to promote denitrification. Complete removal of nitrite was obtained for a carbon dose of 2.4 mg COD/mg NO2-N using acetic acid and 3.8 mg COD/mg NO2-N for butyric acid. Also, a higher denitrification rate - 14.6 mg NO2-N/g VSS∙h - was observed with butyric acid as compared with acetic acid - 9.12 mg NO2-N/g VSS∙h.
Landfill leachate; Short-cut nitrification; Denitrification via nitrite
