Nitrate Removal via Denitrification in Aerobic Sediments from Freshwater Systems
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Francisco Cubas
Location
Poster 138
Session Format
Poster Presentation
Academic Unit
Department of Civil Engineering
Background
Denitrification is a process that transforms nitrate into nitrogen gas. This process, catalyzed by denitrifying bacteria, helps to decrease eutrophication by removing inorganic nitrogen and decomposing organic matter [1]. It is widely accepted that denitrification only occurs in the absence of oxygen, therefore denitrifying bacteria are expected to reside deep in the sediments where no oxygen can reach. In some cases, denitrification have been observed to occur simultaneously with nitrification suggesting that denitrification might happen in the presence of oxygen [2]. Our research explores the possibility of having nitrate removal in the presence of low oxygen concentrations. It is expected the denitrification rates within the sediments will be mainly controlled by factors such as oxygen depletion rates and presence of denitrifying bacteria and not only by oxygen levels. Having nitrate removal in the presence of low oxygen concentrations will help update current models that only activate dentification once dissolved oxygen (DO) is 0 mg/L.
Keywords
Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing Student Research Symposium, Freshwater Systems
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Presentation Type and Release Option
Presentation (File Not Available for Download)
Start Date
2022 12:00 AM
January 2022
Nitrate Removal via Denitrification in Aerobic Sediments from Freshwater Systems
Poster 138
