Biological nitrogen removal with enhanced phosphate uptake in a sequencing batch reactor using single sludge system

Simultaneous biological phosphorus and nitrogen removal with enhanced anoxic phosphate uptake was investigated in an anaerobic–aerobic–anoxic–aerobic sequencing batch reactor ((AO)2 SBR). Significant amounts of phosphorus-accumulation organisms (PAOs) capable of denitrification could be accumulated in a single sludge system coexisting with nitrifiers. The ratio of the anoxic phosphate uptake to the aerobic phosphate uptake capacity was increased from 11% to 64% by introducing an anoxic phase in an anaerobic–aerobic SBR. The (AO)2 SBR system showed stable phosphorus and nitrogen removal performance. Average removal efficiencies of TOC, total nitrogen, and phosphorus were 92%, 88%, and 100%, respectively. It was found that nitrite (up to 10 mg NO2−–N/l) was not detrimental to the anoxic phosphate uptake and could serve as an electron acceptor like nitrate. In fact, the phosphate uptake rate was even faster in the presence of nitrite as an electron acceptor compared to the presence of nitrate. It was found that on-line sensor values of pH, ORP, and DO were somehow related with the dynamic behaviours of nutrient concentrations (NH4+, NO3−, and PO43−) in the SBR. These on-line sensor values were used as real-time control parameters to adjust the duration of each operational phase in the (AO)2 SBR. The real-time controlled SBR exhibited better performance in the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen than the SBR with fixed-time operation.