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Nitrification in Water and Wastewater Treatment
Citation:
LYTLE, D. A., A. Wilczak, AND A. Mofidi. Nitrification in Water and Wastewater Treatment. Edition 2, Chapter 2, AWWA Manual M56 - Fundamentals and Control of Nitrification. American Water Works Association, Denver, CO, , 21-45, (2013).
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
This chapter discusses available information on the occurrence of nitrification in water treatment plants and its potential impact on distribution system water quality. Nitrification as part of the water treatment process can occur whenever ammonia is present in or added to the source water, and water is not initially free chlorinated to achieve breakpoint. Nitrification can be either controlled or uncontrolled. Controlled nitrification may be conducted, for example, when the concentrations of source water ammonia are high and the desire is to remove it partially or completely. Nitrification has been used and modeled extensively in wastewater treatment, and it is useful to understand the lessons learned there and draw certain comparisons and parallels that may improve our understanding of nitrification in water treatment and distribution.
