text: The application of the anammox process lies in the removal of ammonium in the wastewater treatment and consists of two separate processes.<br />
  The first step is the partial nitrification (nitritation) of half of the ammonium to nitrite by ammonia oxidizing bacteria:
  The remaining half of the ammonium and the newly formed nitrite are converted in the anammox process to diatomic nitrogen gas and  nitrate (not shown) by anammox bacteria:
  Both processes can take place in 1 reactor where two guilds of bacteria form compact granules.
  For the enrichment of the anammox organisms a granular biomass or biofilm system seems to be especially suited in which the necessary sludge age of more than 20 days can be ensured. Possible reactors are sequencing batch reactors (SBR), moving bed reactors or gas-lift-loop reactors. The cost reduction compared to conventional nitrogen removal is considerable; the technique is still young but proven in several fullscale installations.
  The first full scale reactor intended for the application of anammox bacteria was built in the Netherlands in 2002. In other wastewater treatment plants, such as the one in Germany (Hattingen), anammox activity is coincidentally observed though were not built for that purpose. As of 2006, there are three full scale processes in The Netherlands: one in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (in Rotterdam), and two on industrial effluent. One is a tannery, the other a potato processing plant.