
UpcomingOnline
Nitrogen Removal
Preview / Registration15 Aug 2026 – 1 Sept 2026
Course1 Sept 2026 – 30 Sept 2026
In cooperation with
Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (AIDIS)
About the course
Nitrogen removal is the process most extensively studied in the history of wastewater treatment. This course covers fundamental, design and experimental aspects of nitrification and denitrification processes, including biological and process kinetics, factors influencing processes, nitrification and denitrification rates and potential and other relevant aspects. A complete design example is included with detailed development and demonstration of design procedure, sizing of the system, calculation of oxygen demand and other process requirements. You will also become familiar with nitrogen cycle, impact of side-stream processes, and novel nitrogen removal processes such as nitrite-based nitrogen removal, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation, including SHARON®, ANAMMOX®, and CANON® processes, and you will benefit from several interesting case studies of application of novel nitrogen removal technologies in practice.
Course information
Name
Nitrogen Removal
Start date
1 Sept 2026
End date
30 Sept 2026
Preview course materials
15 Aug 2026 – 31 Aug 2026
Registration deadline
31 Aug 2026
Examination
30 Sept 2026
Certification
AIDIS-GSGS Certificate of Completion
Study mode
Part-time self-study
Delivery mode
Pre-recorded video lectures
Instructor's guidance
Not included
Duration of video lectures
7 hrs
Approximate study time
10 hrs per week, 40 hrs in total
Course language
Pre-recorded video lectures (English narration with Spanish, Portuguese or French captions). Presentations (English). Readers (English or Portuguese). Examination (English or Spanish).
Course credits
Not applicable
Course fee
Free, however a US$100 administration fee applies to the examination and certification.
The objective of this course is that you get familiar with the fundamental, design and experimental aspects of nitrification and denitrification processes, including biological and process kinetics, factors influencing processes, nitrification and denitrification rates and potential and other relevant aspects. A complete design example is included with detailed development and demonstration of design procedure, sizing of the system, calculation of oxygen demand and other process requirements. You will also become familiar with the nitrogen cycle, impact of sidestream processes, and novel nitrogen removal processes such as nitrite-based nitrogen removal, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation, including SHARON, ANAMMOX, and CANON processes, and you will benefit from several interesting case studies of application of novel nitrogen removal technologies in practice.
This course covers the following topics:
- Nitrification (week 1)
- Denitrification (week 2)
- Introduction to novel nitrogen removal processes (week 3)
- Partial nitrification (week 3)
- Anammox (week 3)
- N2O and Wastewater Treatment (week 3)
- Examples and exercises (week 4)
At least two weeks before the course starts, the course materials (pre-recorded video lectures, presentations, and readers) will be made available as open-access resources free of charge for preview. During this period, prospective participants can explore the course materials and decide whether to register for the course. The registration deadline is one day before the course starts.
Registration secures a participant's official place in the course, access to the examination, and, upon successful completion, a Certificate of Completion.
Payment of the course fee in full is a compulsory part of the registration process. The course fee covers administration, management, examination, and certification costs.
Participants who choose not to register will continue to have free access to the course materials until the end of the course, but will not have access to the examination and will not receive a Certificate of Completion.
Please note that the course does not provide instructor guidance. Participants are advised to follow the prescribed weekly schedule by first reading the course textbook materials and then listening to and watching the pre-recorded audio-visual materials. Participants are also encouraged to study the examples provided.
The final week of the course is reserved for examination preparation using the exercises provided in the readers. More information about the examination is provided in the section below.
Registered participants will have access to the examination. The exam will be held on the last day of the course. Exam questions will be sent by the course administrator to participants via email at 8:00 AM (UTC-3). Participants must return their completed exam papers by email on the same day before 8:00 PM (UTC-3), providing a 12-hour window for completion.
The estimated time required to complete the exam is approximately one hour. The exam will be open-book.
Exams will be graded by the course administration staff, and the result will be recorded as either “Pass” or “Fail”. The results will be communicated to participants within one week of the exam date. Successful participants will receive an email with their personalized Certificate of Completion attached.
Unsuccessful participants will be given one opportunity for re-examination under the same conditions, one week after receiving the results of the first examination.
Note: The course fee is non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of the exam or whether a registered participant takes the examination.
Registration/payment deadline
Examination
Sneak preview · 2 weeks
Self-study · 3 weeks
Exam study week
Week -2
Week -1
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Course start
Course end
Watch pre-recorded lectures
Videos will be available from 15 Aug.
Teachers

George A. Ekama†
Emeritus Professor
University of Cape Town

Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht
Professor
Delft University of Technology · NL
Course coordination
Register for Exam & Certificate
Register now to reserve your placeThe course is free. A US$100 administration fee applies to the examination and certification.

