0000000000053814
AUTHOR
J. Serralta
Use of biological and sedimentation models for designing Peñíscola WWTP.
This paper presents Peñíscola wastewater treatment plant design. Peñíscola is a tourist city in Castellón (Spain), whose population changes significantly between summer and the rest of the year. The design of the biological and settling treatment units has been confirmed by computer model simulations and provided for biological organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Two different treatment schemes have been proposed in order to optimize the plant performance during both seasonal operations. During low-load season, the plant will be operated under extended aeration conditions, so further sludge stabilization will not be needed. During high-load season, the plant will be operated un…
Behavior of mixed Chlorophyceae cultures under prolonged dark exposure. Respiration rate modeling
[EN] The behavior of three different microalgal cultures, when exposed for a long period (>48 h) to dark conditions, was studied with a methodology based on respirometry. The cultures were transferred to darkness and the oxygen evolution in the reactors was monitored after successive air injections. Several sequential oxygen uptake rates were thus calculated and a respiration constant, assuming a first order decay of a fraction of the biomass, was obtained by calibration. Initial specific oxygen uptake rates were in the range of 0.9 5.1 mg O2 g TSS−1 h−1 and dark respiration constants in the range of 0.005 0.018 h−1.
Resource recovery from sulphate-rich sewage through an innovative anaerobic-based water resource recovery facility (WRRF)
[EN] This research work proposes an innovative water resource recovery facility (WRRF) for the recovery of energy, nutrients and reclaimed water from sewage, which represents a promising approach towards enhanced circular economy scenarios. To this aim, anaerobic technology, microalgae cultivation, and membrane technology were combined in a dedicated platform. The proposed platform produces a high-quality solid- and coliform-free effluent that can be directly discharged to receiving water bodies identified as sensitive areas. Specifically, the content of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in the effluent was 45 mg COD.L-1 , 14.9 mg N.L-1 and 0.5 mg P.L-1 , respectively. Harvested solar…
An extension of ASM2d including pH calculation
This paper presents an extension of the Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d) including a chemical model able to calculate the pH value in biological processes. The developed chemical model incorporates the complete set of chemical species affecting the pH value to ASM2d describing non-equilibrium biochemical processes. It considers the system formed by one aqueous phase, in which biochemical processes take place, and one gaseous phase, and is based on the assumptions of instantaneous chemical equilibrium under liquid phase and kinetically governed mass transport between the liquid and gas phase. The ASM2d enlargement comprises the addition of every component affecting the pH value and an i…
A Semi-Industrial Anmbr Plant for Urban Wastewater Treatment at Ambient Temperature: Analysis of the Filtration Process, Energy Balance and Quantification of GHG Emissions
A semi-industrial scale AnMBR urban wastewater treatment plant was operated for 580 days at ambient temperature (ranging from 10-30 ○C) to assess its long-term filtration performance, energy balance and GHG emissions. The applied 20ºC-standardized transmembrane flux (J20) was varied between 15 and 25 LMH and the specific gas demand per m2 of membrane (SGDm) was modified between 0.10 to 0.40 Nm3·m-2·h-1 (corresponding to a specific gas demand per permeate volume (SGDP) between 10 to 20 Nm3·m-3). The filtration strategy allowed successful long-term operations without any chemical cleaning requirements and little fouling for 233 days. The plant operated as a net energy producer for more than 5…
New frontiers from removal to recycling of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater in the Circular Economy
[EN] Nutrient recovery technologies are rapidly expanding due to the need for the appropriate recycling of key elements from waste resources in order to move towards a truly sustainable modern society based on the Circular Economy. Nutrient recycling is a promising strategy for reducing the depletion of non-renewable resources and the environmental impact linked to their extraction and manufacture. However, nutrient recovery technologies are not yet fully mature, as further research is needed to optimize process efficiency and enhance their commercial applicability. This paper reviews state-of-the-art of nutrient recovery, focusing on frontier technological advances and economic and environ…
Evaluation of activated sludge model no.2 at high phosphorus concentrations
This paper presents laboratory scale experimentation carried out to study enhanced biological phosphorus removal at high phosphorus concentrations in a sequencing batch reactor. Four series of data obtained in a sequencing batch reactor are examined in light of the Activated Sludge Model No. 2. This model was calibrated using data from the first and second series working at low phosphorus concentrations. The Activated Sludge Model No. 2 successfully characterised the enhanced biological phosphorus removal performance of the sequencing batch reactor at low phosphorus concentrations. The calibrated model was then used to adjust experimental results of the other series working at high phosphor…
Economic analysis of the scale-up and implantation of a hollow fibre membrane contactor plant for nitrogen recovery in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant
[EN] Nitrogen recovery technologies such as the hollow fibre membrane contactor are now being developed. However, an economic analysis is needed prior to their full-scale application in wastewater treatment plants. The aim of this study was to analyse the economic and environmental aspects of scaling-up this method. To achieve it, a full-scale 40,000 m3·day¿1-wastewater treatment plant influent flow rate was simulated jointly with a membrane contactor plant to evaluate the minimum costs of optimum operating conditions of membrane contactors (pH, feed flow rate and membrane surface). The optimum conditions for treating 600 m3·day¿1 of reject water was found to be 10 pH, 0.08 m3·s¿1 feed flow…
Monitoring pH and ORP in a SHARON reactor
This paper analyses the valuable information provided by the on-line measurements of pH and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) in a continuous single high ammonia removal over nitrite (SHARON) reactor. A laboratory-scale SHARON reactor equipped with pH, ORP, electric conductivity and dissolved oxygen (DO) probes has been operated for more than one year. Nitrogen removal over nitrite has been achieved by adding methanol at the beginning of anoxic stages. Time evolution of pH and ORP along each cycle allows identifying the decrease in nitritation rate when ammonia is consumed during the aerobic phase and the end of the denitrification process during the anoxic phase. Therefore, monitoring pH…
Plant-wide modelling in wastewater treatment: showcasing experiences using the Biological Nutrient Removal Model
Abstract Plant-wide modelling can be considered an appropriate approach to represent the current complexity in water resource recovery facilities, reproducing all known phenomena in the different process units. Nonetheless, novel processes and new treatment schemes are still being developed and need to be fully incorporated in these models. This work presents a short chronological overview of some of the most relevant plant-wide models for wastewater treatment, as well as the authors' experience in plant-wide modelling using the general model BNRM (Biological Nutrient Removal Model), illustrating the key role of general models (also known as supermodels) in the field of wastewater treatment…
Short-term effect of ammonia concentration and salinity on activity of ammonia oxidizing bacteria.
A continuously aerated SHARON (single reactor high activity ammonia removal over nitrite) system has been operated to achieve partial nitritation. Two sets of batch experiments were carried out to study the effect of ammonia concentration and salinity on the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Activity of AOB raised as free ammonia concentration was increased reaching its maximum value at 4.5 mg NH 3 -N l −1 . The half saturation constant for free ammonia was determined (K NH 3 = 0.32 mg NH 3 -N l −1 ). Activity decreased at TAN (total ammonium–nitrogen) concentration over 2,000 mg NH 4 -N l −1 . No free ammonia inhibition was detected. The effect of salinity was studied by adding…
Modeling light and temperature influence on ammonium removal by Scenedesmus sp. under outdoor conditions.
[EN] The ammonium removal rate of the microalga Scenedesmus sp. was studied under outdoor conditions. Microalgae were grown in a 500 L flat-plate photobioreactor and fed with the effluent of a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor. Temperature ranged between 9.5 WC and 32.5 WC and maximum light intensity was 1,860 μmol·m2·s1. A maximum specific ammonium removal rate of 3.71 mg NH4 þ-N·g TSS1·h1 was measured (at 22.6 WC and with a light intensity of 1,734 μmol·m2·s1). A mathematical model considering the influence of ammonium concentration, light and temperature was validated. The model successfully reproduced the observed values of ammonium removal rate obtained and it is thus p…
DESASS: A software tool for designing, simulating and optimising WWTPs
This paper presents a very useful software tool to design, simulate and optimise wastewater treatment plants. The program is called DESASS (DEsign and Simulation of Activated Sludge Systems) and has been developed by CALAGUA research group. The mathematical model implemented is the Biological Nutrient Removal Model No.1 (BNRM1) which allows simulating the most important physical, chemical and biological processes taking place in treatment plants. DESASS calculates the performance under steady or transient state of whole treatment schemes including primary settlers, volatile fatty acid generation systems by primary sludge fermentation, activated sludge systems for biological organic matter a…
Mixed microalgae culture for ammonium removal in the absence of phosphorus: Effect of phosphorus supplementation and process modeling
Microalgal growth and ammonium removal in a P-free medium have been studied in two batch photobioreactors seeded with a mixed microalgal culture and operated for 46 days. A significant amount of ammonium (106 mg NH4-Nl(-1)) was removed in a P-free medium, showing that microalgal growth and phosphorus uptake are independent processes. The ammonium removal rate decreased during the experiment, partly due to a decrease in the cellular phosphorus content. After a single phosphate addition in the medium of one of the reactors, intracellular phosphorus content of the corresponding microalgal culture rapidly increased, and so did the ammonium removal rate. These results show how the amount of phos…
Application of the General Model "Biological Nutrient Removal Model No.1" to upgrade two full-scale WWTPs
In this paper, two practical case studies for upgrading two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) using the general model BNRM1 (Biological Nutrient Removal Model No. 1) are presented. In the first case study, the Tarragona WWTP was upgraded by reducing the phosphorus load to the anaerobic digester in order to minimize the precipitation problems. Phosphorus load reduction was accomplished by mixing the primary sludge and the secondary sludge and by elutriating the mixed sludge. In the second case study, the Alcantarilla WWTP, the nutrient removal was enhanced by maintaining a relatively low dissolved oxygen concentration in Stage A to maintain the acidogenic bacteria activity. The VFA produce…
Effect of pH on biological phosphorus uptake.
An anaerobic aerobic laboratory scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated to study the effect of pH on enhanced biological phosphorus removal. Seven steady states were achieved under different operating conditions. In all of them, a slight variation in the pH value was observed during anaerobic phase. However, pH rose significantly during aerobic phase. The increase observed was due to phosphorus uptake and carbon dioxide stripping. When pH was higher than 8.2-8.25 the phosphorus uptake rate clearly decreased. The capability of Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d) and Biological Nutrient Removal Model No. 1 (BNRM1) to simulate experimental results was evaluated. Both models success…
Anaerobic membrane bioreactors for resource recovery from municipal wastewater: a comprehensive review of recent advances
[EN] In a paradigm shift towards a sustainable society based on the Circular Economy, wastewater treatments are rapidly evolving towards simultaneous recovery and reuse of clean water, renewable energy, and nutrients. This review examines recent advances (from 2016 to 2020) in the potential of anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) to serve as the core technology for municipal wastewater (MWW) resource recovery, focusing on the latest technological advances and economic and environmental innovation perspectives. The potentials and limitations of AnMBR for further full-scale application and new platforms to address these challenges are discussed, covering systems based on co-digestion, pre-…
Exploring the limits of anaerobic biodegradability of urban wastewater by AnMBR technology
[EN] Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) can achieve maximum energy recovery from urban wastewater (UWW) by converting influent COD into methane. The aim of this study was to assess the anaerobic biodegradability limits of urban wastewater with AnMBR technology by studying the possible degradation of the organic matter considered as non-biodegradable as observed in aerobic membrane bioreactors operated at very high sludge retention times. For this, the results obtained in an AnMBR pilot plant operated at very high SRT (140 days) treating sulfate-rich urban wastewater were compared with those previously obtained with the system operating at lower SRT (29 to 70 days). At 140 days SRT the …
Modeling the decay of nitrite oxidizing bacteria under different reduction potential conditions
[EN] Autotrophic growth and decay rates of ammonium and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (AOB and NOB, respectively) have a significant impact on the design and on the process performance of wastewater treatment systems where nitrification occurs. Literature data on the separate decay rates of AOB and NOB is scarce and inconsistent. In this study, batch experiments based on respirometric techniques were conducted to determine the NOB decay rates under different oxidation-reduction potential conditions, in order to widen the understanding of nitrite dynamics. The decay rate measured under anoxic conditions was 85% lower than under aerobic conditions, whereas under anaerobic conditions the decay ra…
Calibration and validation of activated sludge model No.2d for Spanish municipal wastewater.
Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d) was validated with data obtained from pilot scale plant treating municipal wastewater from the city of Valencia (Spain). First of all, ASM2d was calibrated using experimental data from anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic batches. A set of kinetic and stoichiometric parameters resulted from these assays. Differences between the values obtained and default values proposed in ASM2d can be explained by the presence of glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs). The calibrated model was then used to simulate results from a pilot plant. Simulation using the set of parameters obtained accurately reproduces experimental results. This paper also presents a detailed proced…
Maximising resource recovery from wastewater grown microalgae and primary sludge in an anaerobic membrane co-digestion pilot plant coupled to a composting process
[EN] A pilot-scale microalgae (Chlorella spp.) and primary sludge anaerobic co-digestion (ACoD) plant was run for one year in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) at 35 °C, 70 d solids retention time and 30 d hydraulic retention time, showing high stability in terms of pH and VFA concentration. The plant achieved a high degree of microalgae and primary sludge substrate degradation, resulting in a methane yield of 370 mLCH4·gVSinf¿1. Nutrient-rich effluent streams (685 mgN·L¿1 and 145 mgP·L¿1 in digestate and 395 mgNH4-N·L¿1 and 37 mgPO4-P·L¿1 in permeate) were obtained, allowing posterior nutrient recovery. Ammonium was recovered from the permeate as ammonia sulphate through a hydrophob…
Experimental sulphide inhibition calibration method in nitrification processes: A case-study.
[EN] Sulphide is one of the inhibitors in the nitrification process in WWTP in regions with sulphate rich soils. As little information is currently available on sulphide nitrification inhibition, the aim of this study was to develop a method based on a modification of the Successive Additions Method to calibrate the effect of sulphide on the activity of ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB). The developed method was then applied to activated sludge samples from two WWTPs with different influent sulphide concentrations. In both cases, sulphide had a greater inhibitory effect on NOB than AOB activity. The sulphide inhibition was found to be lower in the activat…
Real-time control strategy for nitrogen removal via nitrite in a SHARON reactor using pH and ORP sensors
This paper presents a real-time control strategy for nitrogen removal via nitrite in a continuous flow SHARON reactor using on-line available and industrially feasible sensors (pH and ORP). The developed control strategy optimizes the length of aerobic and anoxic phases as well as the external carbon source addition. This strategy, implemented in a laboratory-scale SHARON reactor fed with synthetic wastewater and real dewatering sludge supernatant, was able to cope with step variations in influent flow rate and ammonium concentration. The main advantages of this control strategy over the traditional operation mode with fixed carbon source dosification and fixed length cycle operation were: …
Effect of pH, substrate and free nitrous acid concentrations on ammonium oxidation rate.
Respirometric techniques have been used to determine the effect of pH, free nitrous acid (FNA) and substrate concentration on the activity of the ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) present in an activated sludge reactor. With this aim, bacterial activity has been measured at different pH values (ranging from 6.2 to 9.7), total ammonium nitrogen concentrations (ranging from 0.1 to 10 mg TAN L-1) and total nitrite concentrations (ranging from 3 to 43 mg NO2-N L-1). According to the results obtained, the most appropriate kinetic expression for the growth of AOB in activated sludge reactors has been established. Substrate half saturation constant and FNA and pH inhibition constants have been obt…
Design methodology for submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR): A case study
[EN] The main objective of this study is to propose guidelines for designing submerged anaerobic MBR (AnMBR) technology for municipal wastewater treatment. The design methodology was devised on the basis of simulation and experimental results from an AnMBR plant featuring industrial-scale hollow-fibre membranes. The proposed methodology aims to minimise both capital expenditure and operating expenses, and the key parameters considered were: hydraulic retention time, solids retention time, mixed liquor suspended solids concentration in the membrane tank, 20 C-standardised critical flux, specificgas demand per square metre of membrane area, and flow of sludge being recycled from the membrane …
Effect of temperature on ammonium removal in Scenedesmus sp
The effect of temperature on microalgal ammonium uptake was investigated by carrying out four batch experiments in which a mixed culture of microalgae, composed mainly of Scenedesmus sp., was cultivated under different temperatures within the usual temperature working range in Mediterranean climate (15-34 ºC). Ammonium removal rates increased with temperature up to 26 ºC and stabilized thereafter. Ratkowsky and Cardinal Temperatures models successfully reproduced the experimental data. Optimum (31.3 ºC), minimum (8.8 ºC) and maximum (46.1 ºC) temperatures for ammonium removal by Scenedesmus sp. under the studied conditions were obtained as model parameters. These temperature-related paramet…
Effect of pH and HNO2 concentration on the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in a partial nitritation reactor
Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are very sensitive to environmental conditions and wastewater treatment plant operational parameters. One of the most important factors affecting their activity is pH. Its effect is associated with: NH3/NH4 þ and HNO2/NO2 chemical equilibriums and biological reaction rates. The aim of this study was to quantify and model the effect of pH and free nitrous acid (FNA) concentration on the activity of AOB present in a lab-scale partial nitritation reactor. For this purpose, two sets of batch experiments were carried out using biomass from this reactor. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis showed that Nitrosomona eutropha and Nitrosomona europaea species we…
Nitrogen recovery using a membrane contactor: Modelling nitrogen and pH evolution
[EN] A hollow fibre membrane contactor has been applied for nitrogen recovery from anaerobic digestion supernatant at different operating conditions obtaining nitrogen recovery efficiencies over 99 %. A mathematical model able to represent the time evolution of pH and nitrogen concentration during the recovery process is presented in this paper. The developed model accurately reproduced the results obtained in 26 experiments carried out at different pH values (from 9 to 11), temperatures (from 25 to 35 degrees C), membrane surfaces (from 1.2 to 2.4 m(2)) and feed flow rates (from 0.33 x 10(-5) to 5.83 x 10(-5) m(3)/s) predicting the variations in nitrogen recovery rates measured at the diff…
Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) treating urban wastewater in mild climates
[EN] Feasibility of an AnMBR demonstration plant treating urban wastewater (UWW) at temperatures around 25-30 degrees C was assessed during a 350-day experimental period. The plant was fed with the effluent from the pretreatment of a full-scale municipal WWTP, characterized by high COD and sulfate concentrations. Biodegradability of the UWW reached values up to 87%, although a portion of the biodegradable COD was consumed by sulfate reducing organisms. Effluent COD remained below effluent discharge limits, achieving COD removals above 90%. System operation resulted in a reduction of sludge production of 36-58% compared to theoretical aerobic sludge productions. The membranes were operated a…
A supervisory control system for optimising nitrogen removal and aeration energy consumption in wastewater treatment plants
A fuzzy logic supervisory control system for optimising nitrogen removal and aeration energy consumption has been developed. This control system allows optimising and controlling the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the aerobic reactors, the blowers discharge pressure and the effluent ammonia and nitrate concentrations. DO is controlled by adjusting control valve opening and blower discharge pressure is controlled by modifying rotational speed of the blowers. Optimum nitrification/denitrification is achieved by modifying the DO set point in the last aerobic reactor and the internal recirculation. This system has been tested by simulation in a Bardenpho process using the Activated Slud…
Biological Nutrient Removal Model No. 2 (BNRM2): a general model for wastewater treatment plants
This paper presents the plant-wide model Biological Nutrient Removal Model No. 2 (BNRM2). Since nitrite was not considered in the BNRM1, and this previous model also failed to accurately simulate the anaerobic digestion because precipitation processes were not considered, an extension of BNRM1 has been developed. This extension comprises all the components and processes required to simulate nitrogen removal via nitrite and the formation of the solids most likely to precipitate in anaerobic digesters. The solids considered in BNRM2 are: struvite, amorphous calcium phosphate, hidroxyapatite, newberite, vivianite, strengite, variscite, and calcium carbonate. With regard to nitrogen removal via…
Kinetic modeling of autotrophic microalgae mainline processes for sewage treatment in phosphorus-replete and -deplete culture conditions
[EN] A kinetic model of autotrophic microalgal growth in sewage was developed to determine the biokinetic processes involved, including carbon-, nitrogen- and phosphorus-limited microalgal growth, dependence on light intensity, temperature and pH, light attenuation and gas exchange to the atmosphere. A new feature was the differentiation between two metabolic pathways of phosphorus consumption according to the availability of extracellular phosphorus. Two scenarios were differentiated: phosphorus-replete and -deplete culture conditions. In the former, the microalgae absorbed phosphorus to grow and store polyphosphate. In the latter the microalgae used the stored polyphosphate as a phosphoru…
Effect of intracellular P content on phosphate removal in Scenedesmus sp. Experimental study and kinetic expression
The present work determines the effect of phosphorus content on phosphate uptake rate in a mixed culture of Chlorophyceae in which the genus Scenedesmus dominates. Phosphate uptake rate was determined in eighteen laboratory batch experiments, with samples taken from a progressively more P-starved culture in which a minimum P content of 0.11% (w/w) was achieved. The results obtained showed that the higher the internal biomass P content, the lower the phosphate removal rate. The highest specific phosphate removal rate was 6.5 mgPO4 P gTSS -1 h -1 . Microalgae with a P content around 1% (w/w) attained 10% of this highest removal rate, whereas those with a P content of 0.6% (w/w) presented 50% …
Modeling the anaerobic treatment of sulfate rich urban wastewater. Application to AnMBR technology
[EN] Although anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) are a core technology in the transition of urban wastewater (UWW) treatment towards a circular economy, the transition is being held back by a number of bottlenecks. The dissolved methane released from the effluent, the need to remove nutrients (ideally by recovery), or the energy lost by the competition between methanogenic and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) for the biodegradable COD have been identified as the main issues to be addressed before AnMBR becomes widespread. Mathematical modeling of this technology can be used to obtain further insights into these bottlenecks plus other valuable information for design, simulation and contro…
Effect of pH and nitrite concentration on nitrite oxidation rate
The effect of pH and nitrite concentration on the activity of the nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in an activated sludge reactor has been determined by means of laboratory batch experiments based on respirometric techniques. The bacterial activity was measured at different pH and at different total nitrite concentrations (TNO 2). The experimental results showed that the nitrite oxidation rate (NOR) depends on the TNO 2 concentration independently of the free nitrous acid (FNA) concentration, so FNA cannot be considered as the real substrate for NOB. NOB were strongly affected by low pH values (no activity was detected at pH 6.5) but no inhibition was observed at high pH values (activity wa…
Designing an AnMBR-based WWTP for energy recovery from urban wastewater: The role of primary settling and anaerobic digestion
The main objective of this paper is to assess different treatment schemes for designing a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) based WWTP. The economic impact of including a primary settling (PS) stage and further anaerobic digestion (AD) of the wasted sludge has been evaluated. The following operating scenarios were considered: sulphate-rich and low-sulphate urban wastewater (UWW) treatment at 15 and 30 ºC. To this aim, the optimum combination of design/operating parameters that resulted in minimum total cost (CAPEX plus OPEX) for the different schemes and scenarios was determined. The AnMBR design was based on both simulation and experimental results from an AnMBR plant featuri…
Biological nutrient removal model No.1 (BNRM1)
This paper presents the results of the work carried out by the CALAGUA Group on Mathematical Modelling of Biological Treatment Processes: the Biological Nutrient Removal Model No.1. This model is based on a new concept for dynamic simulation of wastewater treatment plants: a unique model can be used to design, simulate and optimize the whole plant, as it includes most of the biological and physico-chemical processes taking place in all treatment operations. The physical processes included are: settling and clarification processes (flocculated settling, hindered settling and thickening), volatile fatty acids elutriation and gasÐliquid transfer. The chemical interactions included comprise aci…
Monitoring pH and electric conductivity in an EBPR sequencing batch reactor
This paper presents laboratory-scale experimentation carried out to study enhanced biological phosphorus removal. Two anaerobic aerobic (A/O) sequencing batch reactors (SBR) have been operated during more than one year to investigate the information provided by monitoring pH and electric conductivity under stationary and transient conditions. Continuous measurements of these parameters allow detecting the end of anaerobic phosphorus release, of aerobic phosphorus uptake and of initial denitrification, as well as incomplete acetic acid uptake. These results suggest the possibility of using pH and electric conductivity as control parameters to determine the length of both anaerobic and aerobi…