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The sharon process: an innovative method for nitrogen removal from ammonium-rich waste water
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1998
Year
Sewage Sludge TreatmentFull Scale PlantEngineeringSharon ProcessWaste TreatmentBiological Waste TreatmentAmmonium-rich Waste WaterWastewater TreatmentNew Biological ProcessChemical EngineeringAmmonia RemovalBioremediationWater TreatmentIndustrial Wastewater ManagementWastewater ManagementAmmoniaWaste ManagementWater TechnologyEnvironmental EngineeringPretreatmentEnvironmental RemediationWater PurificationRecyclingNitrogen Removal
The study focuses on the principles of the SHARON process and evaluates conditions for its feasible application. The SHARON process, developed at Delft University of Technology, removes ammonia from high‑concentration wastewater at 30–40 °C and pH 7–8 without sludge retention, uses denitrification to control pH, and was scaled to a 1500 m³ plant based on kinetic and stoichiometric modeling. The process prevents nitrite oxidation, reducing operational costs to about $1.7 per kg NH4⁺‑N, and a full‑scale plant began operation in Rotterdam in early 1998.
A new biological process for ammonia removal from flows containing hundreds to thousands milligrams NH+4 per litre has been developed at the Delft University of Technology. The SHARON process operates at a high temperature (30–40 °C) and pH (7–8). The process is performed without sludge retention. This enables the prevention of nitrite oxidation, leading to lower operational costs. Denitrification is used to control the pH. A full scale plant was designed (1500 m3) based on kinetic and stoichiometric parameters determined at 1.5 1. scale and model predictions. Total costs are estimated at about $1.7 per kg removed NH4+-N. The first full scale SHARON plant will be operational at the Dokhaven waste water treatment plant in Rotterdam in the beginning of 1998. This contribution focuses on the principles of the process and evaluates conditions for which application seems feasible.