The effect of dissolved oxygen concentration on nitrification

The effect of dissolved oxygen concentration on the rate of nitrification has been investigated by a number of researchers using both pure and mixed cultures, and cultures found in wastewater treatment systems. The maximum growth rate of both nitrification reactions are reported to be affected by dissolved oxygen concentration over the range of 0.3 mg l⁻¹ to as much as 4.0 mg l⁻¹. In some instances, it has been reported that a dissolved oxygen concentration in excess of 4.0 mg l⁻¹ is required to achieve maximum nitrification rates, while other investigators have found that only 0.5 to 1.0 mg l⁻¹ is required.It has been proposed that several factors are responsible for the wide range of reported nitrification rates with varying dissolved oxygen concentrations. Among these factors are the effects of oxygen diffusion in flocs, variation between measured results due to steady-state and dynamic measuring techniques, and double-substrate limited kinetics. This paper reviews the nitrification literature with respect to the effects of dissolved oxygen concentration, and shows that double-substrate limiting kinetics could account for the variation in the reported results.