Abstract
Continuous denitrification experiments were carried out in an aerobic canal using water-insoluble fatty acid compounds as hydrogen doors. After about one year, the results showed that total nitrogen (T-N) removal efficiencies were 10 to 40% and maximum removal rates were 1920 to 5760mg-N·m-2·d-1 per unit area from April to Jun. Statistical analysis revealed that sufficient nitrification treatment was the most important factor for maintaining a high removal rate. Denitrification medias, which gathered denitrification bacteria with precedence, showed high denitrification activity even in aerobic conditions such as those of a canal. In this experiment, a maximum of 20.4% nitrogen was converted into gases, and 1.2%, into sediments.
