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Analysis of the characteristics of short-cut nitrifying granular sludge and pollutant removal processes in a sequencing batch reactor

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Abstract

Aerobic granular sludge is a new type of microbe auto-immobilization technology; in this paper, short-cut nitrification and denitrification were effectively combined with the granular sludge technology. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification granules were developed in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) using synthetic wastewater with a high concentration of ammonia nitrogen at 25 °C with a dissolved oxygen concentration above 2.0 mg/L and a 15 days sludge retention time. The characteristics of the sludge and the removal efficiency were studied, and the removal mechanisms of the pollutants and the process of short-cut nitrification were analyzed. The average granule diameter of the granular sludge was 704.0 μm. The removal rates of pollutants and the accumulation rate of nitrite in the SBR were studied. During treatment of wastewater with a high concentration of ammonia nitrogen, simultaneous nitrification, and denitrification and the stripping process could contribute to the removal of total nitrogen. The high pH value, the high concentration of free ammonia, and the delamination of granular sludge were the main factors contributing to the short-cut nitrification property of granular sludge in the reaction process.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scholars of China (NO. 51208084); Youth Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China (NO. QC2012C089); Science and Technology Research Projects of Education Department of Heilongjiang Province of China (NO. 12521006); Heilong Jiang Postdoctoral Funds for scientific research initiation of China (NO. LBH-Q11166); National Science and Technology Pillar Program of China (NO. 2013BAJ12B02-4).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resource and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China

    Yan Li-long, Liu Yu & Zhang Ying

  2. School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China

    Ren Yuan

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  1. Yan Li-long
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  2. Liu Yu
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  3. Ren Yuan
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  4. Zhang Ying
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Correspondence to Zhang Ying.

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Li-long, Y., Yu, L., Yuan, R. et al. Analysis of the characteristics of short-cut nitrifying granular sludge and pollutant removal processes in a sequencing batch reactor. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 37, 125–132 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-1006-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-1006-3

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