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Start-up of Aerobic Granular Biomass System: Fate of Organics and Nutrients Removal From Anaerobic Effluent

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Abstract

Purpose

The up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) treated effluent does not meet the national disposal standards of certain countries, such as India and Brazil. To meet the required standards, it is necessary to upgrade the UASB technology through a post-treatment system. The present work aimed to investigate the optimal operating conditions for the formation of granules in an anaerobic/oxic/anoxic (A/O/A) cyclic mode aerobic granular biomass reactor (AGBR) for the treatment of anaerobic effluent (UASB effluent).

Methods

Two rectangular reactors, R1 and R2, were used to cultivate aerobic granular biomass (AGB). R1 served as the control reactor and was fed with low-strength synthetic wastewater throughout the study, while R2 was fed with medium strength sewage and UASB effluent over the study periods.

Results

Granules start-ups were observed on the 30th and 20th days in R1 and R2, respectively. In R1, the removal efficiency of COD, NH4+-N, total nitrogen (TN), and PO43−-P was achieved 80.86%, 97.46%, 53.6%, and 45%, respectively. Whereas the removal efficiency of COD, NH4+-N, TN, and PO43−-P was observed 63.61%, 58.18%, 50%, and 40%, respectively, in R2. The results indicated that the short aeration time, comprising 50% of the total cycle time over a 3-h duration, was the most effective operational phase for achieving high removal of organics and nutrients.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that the A/O/A AGBR effectively cultivates AGB and removes organics and nutrients from anaerobic effluent. The use of medium-strength sewage as a substrate in R2 proved beneficial in reducing the granule start-up time for treating low-strength anaerobic effluent.

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Data Availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.

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Funding

“The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities, (Environmental Science Lab), Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India

    Mohd Rayaz & Fehmeeda Khatoon

  2. Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, 110016, India

    Mohd Aamir Khan

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India

    Abid Ali Khan

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“All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by [MR] and [MAK]. The first draft of the manuscript was written by [MR] and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”

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Correspondence to Fehmeeda Khatoon.

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Rayaz, M., Khan, M.A., Khan, A.A. et al. Start-up of Aerobic Granular Biomass System: Fate of Organics and Nutrients Removal From Anaerobic Effluent. Waste Biomass Valor 15, 945–958 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-023-02198-1

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