Methanol-driven enhanced biological phosphorus removal with a syntrophic consortium

Area of Science:

• Environmental Microbiology
• Wastewater Engineering

Background:

• Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is crucial for urban wastewater treatment.
• Low volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in wastewater necessitate external carbon sources for effective phosphorus removal.
• Methanol, commonly used for denitrification, has previously failed as a carbon source for EBPR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the successful utilization of methanol as an external carbon source for EBPR.
• To develop a novel process for sustained phosphorus removal using methanol.

Main Methods:

• A consortium of anaerobic biomass and polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) was developed.
• Methanol-degrading acetogens were selected and subjected to anaerobic-aerobic EBPR conditions.
• The selected acetogens were bioaugmented with PAOs.

Main Results:

• This study reports the first successful use of methanol for EBPR.
• A direct methanol replacement strategy failed.
• The developed consortium sustained EBPR with methanol as the sole carbon source on a mid-term basis.

Conclusions:

• Methanol can be effectively utilized for EBPR through a specifically developed microbial consortium.
• This novel approach overcomes previous limitations of using methanol in wastewater treatment for phosphorus removal.