Effect of Flow Rate Increase on the Performance of a Pilot-Scale Biological Nutrient Removal Reactor
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 5
Abstract
Nutrient removal in two identical pilot-scale reactors is assessed at influent flow rates of 30, 45, and . The bacteria community structure of nitrifiers and denitrifiers and the protein:polysaccharide ratio (PN/PS) in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are monitored at each flow rate. Except for the chemical oxygen demand (COD), the reactor performance in terms of ammonia and phosphorous removal begins to deteriorate at the influent flow rate. Nitrobacter are more dominant than are nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). The PN/PS ratio in sludge EPS significantly decreases as the solids retention time (SRT) decreases from 9.3 to 2.2 days. The PN/PS ratio temporarily increases in response to an increase in flow rate before normalizing to a steadier value.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) Grants and EPCOR Water Services for their financial supports.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 144 • Issue 5 • May 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 1, 2017
Accepted: Oct 6, 2017
Published online: Feb 16, 2018
Published in print: May 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jul 16, 2018
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