Water Environ Res. 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1002/wer.1544. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) can recover significant quantities of wastewater phosphorus. However, this resource recovery process realizes limited use largely due to process stability concerns. Research evaluated effects of anaerobic HRT (τAN ) and VFA concentration – critical operational parameters that can be externally controlled – on EBPR performance. Evaluated alone, τAN (1-4 hours) exhibited no statistical effect on effluent phosphorus. However, PHA increased with VFA loading and biomass accumulated more phosphorus. Regarding resiliency, under increasing VFA loads PAOs hydrolyzed more phosphorus to uptake/catabolize VFAs; moreover, PHA synthesis normalized to VFA loading increased with τAN , suggesting fermentation. Kinetically, PAOs exhibited Monod-like relationships for qPHAAN and qVFAAN as a function of anaerobic P release; additionally, qPAE exhibited a Monod-like relationship with end-anaerobic PHA concentration. A culminating analysis affirmed the relationship between enhanced aerobic P uptake, and net P removal, with a parameter (Phosphorus Removal Propensity Factor) that combines influent VFA concentration with τAN .
PMID:33638876 | DOI:10.1002/wer.1544
