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Enhanced aerobic granulation and nitrogen removal by the addition of zeolite powder in a sequencing batch reactor

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of zeolite powders on feasibility of rapid aerobic granulation in the column-type sequencing batch reactors. After 90 days' operation, aerobic granular sludge was formed in both reactors by altering influent chemical oxygen demand/nitrogen (COD/N) ratios. R1 with zeolite powders had better removal capabilities of COD and total nitrogen than R2, which was without zeolite powders. Mixed liquor volatile suspended solid concentrations of the two reactors were 7.36 and 5.45 g/L, while sludge volume index (SVI30) values were 34.9 and 47.9 mg/L, respectively. The mean diameters of aerobic granular sludge in the above two reactors were 2.5 and 1.5 mm, respectively. Both reactors achieved the largest simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) efficiency at an influent COD/N ratio of 8; however, R1 exhibited more excellent SND efficiency than R2. The obtained results could provide a novel technique for rapid aerobic granulation and N removal simultaneously, especially when treating nitrogen-rich industrial wastewater.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2010EM063), Special Research and Development Environmental Protection Industry of Shandong Province (THB1002), and the Doctor Foundation of Shandong Province (BS2010NJ002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, People’s Republic of China

    Dong Wei, Xiaodong Xue, Shuwei Chen, Yongfang Zhang, Liangguo Yan & Bin Du

  2. Key Laboratory of Chemical Sensing & Analysis in Universities of Shandong, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, People’s Republic of China

    Qin Wei

Authors
  1. Dong Wei
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  2. Xiaodong Xue
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  3. Shuwei Chen
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  4. Yongfang Zhang
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  5. Liangguo Yan
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  6. Qin Wei
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  7. Bin Du
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Correspondence to Bin Du.

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Wei, D., Xue, X., Chen, S. et al. Enhanced aerobic granulation and nitrogen removal by the addition of zeolite powder in a sequencing batch reactor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 97, 9235–9243 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4625-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4625-8

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