Long-term
evolution of an activated sludge system under low
dissolved
oxygen conditions
Jinsong
Guo*, Yufeng Xu, Youpeng Chen, Leilei Fan and Fang Fang
Key
Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region?s Eco-environments, Ministry
of Education, Chongqing University,
Chongqing,
400045, P. R. China
*Corresponding
Author email : guo0768@cqu.edu.cn
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Publication
Data
Paper received:
15 June 2012
Revised received:
15 August 2012
Accepted:
15 November 2012
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Abstract
This
study aims to evaluate the impacts of low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels on
activated sludge performance. Two sequencing batch reactors (SBR), each with
a working volume of 10 l, were investigated with different DO levels.
Compared with high DO conditions (above 2 mg l-1 on average), low DO conditions in the SBR did not
result in poor sludge bulking, lower chemical oxygen demand, and ammonium
removal efficiency. Moreover, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification
(SND) via nitrite and shortcut nitrification-denitrification were carried out
under low DO levels. The average efficiencies of SND and nitrite accumulation
ratios (NAR) in reactors A and B were 10.6 and 60.4%, respectively, under
high DO levels and 4.1 and 76%, respectively, under low DO levels. Scanning
electron microscopy revealed that the main types of bacteria in reactor A
were spherical and short rod-shaped bacteria, whereas those in reactor B were
long rod-shaped bacteria and filamentous bacteria. Thus, the appropriate DO
concentration created excellent microbial community structures, which helped
the biological systems to perform well under low DO level operating
conditions.
Key words
Low
dissolved oxygen, Microbial activity, Activated Sludge performance,
Nitrification, Denitrification
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