Characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus removal in a sequencing batch reactor

Laboratory scale experiments were conducted to study the characteristics of N and P removal under different influent organic carbon concentration in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with simple anaerobic/aerobic operating mode. Experimental results indicated that, under the operating condition of influent N concentration of 89 mg/L and P concentration of 15 mg/L, when the influent C/N ratio increased from 1.5 to 6.9 (influent C/P ratio from 9 to 41), total N and P removal efficiency improved from 50% and 46% to 78% and 96% respectively. Track studies of N, P and other operating parameters demonstrated that N removal of the SBR was realized through simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) in the aeration phase and anoxic denitrificaiton in the filling phase, P removal was accomplished through conventional anaerobic P release and aerobic P taken-up process. Keeping dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration during the first two aeration hours as low as 0.1-0.6 mg/L is essential for the simultaneous occurrences of nitrification, denitrification and P-taken up.