Effects of various side stream phosphorus recovery volume on the performance and microbial structures of mainstream biological system

Abstract In this study, phosphate-rich supernatant at the end of anaerobic phase was extracted by a certain side-stream ratio for chemical precipitation to investigate the optimal conditions for phosphorus recovery. The effect of side-stream reaction on the performance of the mainstream enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) system was also explored. The experiment was carried out in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) operated in an alternating anaerobic/aerobic mode with dissolved oxygen controlled at 1.0 mg · L−1. The results showed that the optimum magnesium source,temperature, stirring speed and reaction equilibrium time for side-stream phosphorus recovery were: MgCl2 · 6H2O, 25 °C, 150 rpm and 20 min, respectively. It was also observed that the average phosphorus removal efficiency of the mainstream system maintained as high as 90.7% during the side-stream extraction period despite insufficient time for phosphate uptake under limited dissolved oxygen condition and phosphate deprivation of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs). Besides, the sludge settling performance of the mainstream EBPR system decreased with no sludge loss. Afterwards, phosphorus removal and sludge settling performance were restored with dismissing side-stream phosphorus recovery. This study suggested that side-stream extraction of anaerobic supernatant from a mainstream EBPR subjected to low dissolved oxygen conditions for chemical phosphorus recovery was feasible and environmentally friendly.

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Effect of side-stream phosphorus recovery on biological phosphorus removal performance investigated by chemical and microbial analyses in a novel BNR-IC process

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2014.351 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 70 (9) ◽

pp. 1441-1447 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

H. M. Zou ◽

X. W. Lu ◽

T. Li

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽

Phosphorus Recovery ◽

Biological Phosphorus Removal ◽

Side Stream ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽

P Recovery ◽

Biological Phosphorus ◽

P Removal

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of side-stream ratio (SSR) on performance of phosphorus (P) removal and recovery in a novel process linking biological nutrients removal (BNR) and induced crystallization (IC). Results showed that P removal efficiency was significantly enhanced when given an appropriate SSR, resulting in effluent P concentrations decreasing from 0.75 to 0.39 mg/L with an increase of SSR from 0 to 35%, where a maximum of 7.19 mg/L P recovery amount was obtained at 35% of SSR. Increasing the SSR can favor the P recovery, while an excessively high SSR (more than 35%) would have a negative effect on the subsequent biological P removal in the BNR-IC system. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis showed that in total, 11 DGGE bands of highest species richness were visually detected and significant changes in microbial community structure were found, with SSR variations ranging from 0 to 55%. Moreover, an increase in SSR can cause an increase in microbial community biodiversity; where microbial populations correspond to the 11 bands, they were generally classified into five different phyla or classes (Beta-, Gamma-, and Deltaproteobacteria, as well as Clostridia and Flavobacteria) based on the evolutionary tree analysis.

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