[Denitrifying phosphorus removal in a Modified University of Cape Town (MUCT) process treating domestic wastewater...

The performance of denitrifying phosphorus removal under nitrification and nitritation was investigated in a lab-scale Modified University of Cape Town (MUCT) process treating real domestic wastewater with low C/N ratio. The experimental results of 180 days showed that nitritation was achieved at short hydraulic retention time (HRT) and low dissolved oxygen (DO) of 0.3-0.5 mg x L(-1), and an average nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) of above 70% was achieved during nitritation stage. The MUCT process showed a good performance of denitrifying phosphorus removal. Under nitritation mode, total and denitrifying phosphorus removal efficiencies were 90% and 91%, respectively; under nitrification mode, total and denitrifying phosphorus removal efficiencies were 60% and 88%, respectively. Although phosphorus removal performance under nitritation was better than that under nitrification, the results of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) indicated that the percentage of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) in biomass was about 37% under two modes. The effluent COD concentration was below 50 mg x L(-1) during the experimental period. Batch tests of different nitrifying sludges showed that the percentage of denitrifying phosphorus removal bacteria (DPBs) in PAOs using NO2(-)-N as an electron acceptor under nitritation mode was almost the same as that using NO3(-)-N as an electron acceptor under nitrification mode, with an average percentage of 38%. Compared with nitrification mode with conventional phosphorus removal, nitritation mode with denitrifying phosphorus removal has a superior performance treating limited carbon source wastewater.