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Biofilm Removal Using Carbon Dioxide Aerosols without Nitrogen Purge
Published on: November 6, 2016
Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus removal mechanisms of aerobic granules
Saurabh Jyoti Sarma1,2, Joo-Hwa Tay2
1a Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Bennett University , Greater Noida , India.
Abstract:
Aerobic granules are the potential tools to develop modern wastewater treatment technologies with improved nutrient removal efficiency. These granules have several promising advantages over conventional activated sludge-based wastewater treatment processes. This technology has the potential of reducing the infrastructure and operation costs of wastewater treatment by 25%, energy requirement by 30%, and space requirement by 75%. The nutrient removal mechanisms of aerobic granules are slightly different from that of the activated sludge. For instance, unlike activated sludge process, according to some reports, as high as 70% of the total phosphorus removed by aerobic granules were attributed to precipitation within the granules. Similarly, aerobic granule-based technology reduces the total amount of sludge produced during wastewater treatment. However, the reason behind this observation is unknown and it needs further explanations based on carbon and nitrogen removal mechanisms. Thus, as a part of the present review, a set of new hypotheses have been proposed to explain the peculiar nutrient removal mechanisms of the aerobic granules.
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