ATP content and biomass activity in sequential anaerobic/aerobic reactors

Specific ATP content of volatile solids was measured to characterize the sludge activity in a sequential an-aerobic/aerobic wastewater treatment system, with an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and a three-phase aerobic fluidized bed (AFB) reactor. The wastewater COD level was 2000-3000 mg/L in simulation of real textile waste-water. The ATP content and the specific ATP contents of volatile solids at different heights of the UASB reactor and those of the suspended and immobilized biomass in the AFB reactor were measured. In the UASB reactor, the maximum value of specific ATP (0.85 mg ATP/g VS) was obtained at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) 7.14 h in the blanket solution. In the AFB reactor, the specific ATP content of suspended biomass was higher than that of immobilized biomass and increased with hydraulic retention time reaching a maximum value of 1.6 mg ATP/g VS at hydraulic retention time 4.35 h. The ATP content of anaerobes in the UASB effluent declined rapidly under aerobic conditions following a 2nd-order kinetic model.