Modeling the performance of Single-stage Nitrogen removal using Anammox and Partial nitritation (SNAP) process with backpropagation neural network and response surface methodology

Two novel feedforward backpropagation Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)-based-models (8:N_H:1 and 7:N_H:1) combined with Box-Behnken design of experiments methodology was proposed and developed to model NH₄ ⁺ and Total Nitrogen (TN) removal within an upflow-sludge-bed (USB) reactor treating nitrogen-rich wastewater via Single-stage Nitrogen removal using Anammox and Partial nitritation (SNAP) process. ANN were developed by optimizing network architecture parameters via response surface methodology. Based on the goodness-of-fit standards, the proposed three-layered NH₄ ⁺ and TN removal ANN-based-models trained with Levenberg-Marquardt-algorithm demonstrated high-performance as computations exhibited smaller deviations-(±2.1%) as well as satisfactory coefficient of determination (R²), fractional variance-(FV), and index of agreement-(IA) ranging 0.989–0.997, 0.003–0.031 and 0.993–0.998, respectively. The computational results affirmed that the ANN architecture which was optimized with response surface methodology enhanced the efficiency of the ANN-based-models. Furthermore, the overall performance of the developed ANN-based models revealed that modeling intricate biological systems (such as SNAP) using ANN-based models with the view to improve removal efficiencies, establish process control strategies and optimize performance is highly feasible. Microbial community analysis conducted with 16S rRNA high-throughput approach revealed that Candidatus Kuenenia was the most pronounced genera which accounted for 13.11% followed by Nitrosomonas-(6.23%) and Proteocatella-(3.1%), an indication that nitrogen removal pathway within the USB was mainly via partial-nitritation/anammox process.