Project Title Development of Predictive Tools to Infer Inhibition of Biological Nitrogen Removal at POTWs via Long Term Bench Scale and Full Scale Monitoring Principal Investigators

We will develop rapid screening tools to measure wastewater composition and correlate bulk composition measures to nitrification inhibition. Initially, we will focus on metals (cadmium, zinc, nickel and copper, which have been implicated in nitrification inhibition, moderate to high toxicity to nitrifying microorganisms. Prior to the start of the monitoring study, we will optimize and validate the bulk chemical characterization tool in a synthetic matrix, such as the cultivation medium for nitrifying bacteria. The bulk metal content of a wastewater matrix will be determined by titrating against excess sulfide (in an anoxic environment) and measuring remaining sulfide concentrations and expressed in terms of a lumped metal-sulfide solubility product of the constituent metal-sulfide solubility product.