Benefits Of IFAS For Enhanced Biological Nutrient Removal

One of the major concerns regarding municipal wastewater treatment plant discharge is the rising concentration of nutrient compounds, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus.

Nitrogen and phosphorus are the primary causes of cultural eutrophication (i.e., nutrient enrichment due to human activities) in surface waters. The most recognizable manifestations of this eutrophication are algal blooms that occur during the summer. Chronic symptoms of over-enrichment include low dissolved oxygen, fish kills, murky water, and depletion of desirable flora and fauna.

Wastewater treatment plants that employ conventional biological treatment processes designed to meet secondary treatment effluent standards typically do not remove total nitrogen (TN) or total phosphorus (TP) to the extent needed to protect receiving waters.