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Updated: May 10, 2026

Extraction of Structural Extracellular Polymeric Substances from Aerobic Granular Sludge
Published on: September 26, 2016
Species of phosphorus in the extracellular polymeric substances of EBPR sludge
Hai-Ling Zhang1, Wei Fang, Yong-Peng Wang
1School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Abstract:
In this study, the species of extracellular phosphorus and their transformation during extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) extraction were explored by using (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Results show that the extraction methods had a substantial influence on the phosphorus species in the extracted EPS. Cation exchange resin method was more appropriate for extracting EPS from the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) sludge. Orthophosphate, pyrophosphate and polyphosphate were the main species of phosphorus found to be present in the EPS, which together accounted for about 6.6-10.5% of the total phosphorus in the EBPR sludge. The high percentage of extracellular phosphorus and their diverse species might reveal a new insight into the characteristics of the phosphorus in EPS in EBPR system.
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