Optimization of sludge retention time for rapid start-up and stable operation of high-rate partial nitritation in a continuous flow reactor treating municipal wastewater.

High-rate partial nitritation (HRPN) of municipal wastewater is receiving increasing attention, but how to achieve the rapid start-up and stable operation of municipal wastewater HRPN in continuous flow reactor remains a technical challenge. In this study, a feasible and economical strategy based on optimization sludge retention time (SRT) operation was proposed to address this issue, leveraging the kinetic differences between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). A HRPN reactor was operated for 225 days with dissolved oxygen (DO) of 2.2-5.6 mg/L and high nitrogen loading rate (NLR) of 1.2-1.6 kg N/m/d. Under the SRT of 3 days, the HRPN reactor was successfully started up in 11 days (nitrite accumulation rate, NAR ≥90 %) and the ratio of nitrite to ammonia nitrogen in the effluent is 1. Optimization of SRT during the later operation stage successfully restored the NAR from 71.35 % to 90.93 %, achieving stable operation 80 days of HRPN in continuous flow reactor. The findings of this study demonstrate that both kinetics and microbiology indicate that SRT optimization helps to selectively enrich fast-growing AOB, which is critical for the stability of HRPN in municipal wastewater. The two-stage HRPN-Anammox process proposed in this study has demonstrated superior stability and efficiency in mass balance analysis. Furthermore, it has been shown to be more cost-effective and sustainable in reducing chemical dosage and biomass compared to the traditional PN.