Title
Effects of reduced return activated sludge flows and volume on anaerobic zone performance for a septic wastewater biological phosphorus removal system
Abbreviated Journal Title
Water Environ. Res.
Keywords
phosphorous; wastewater; enhanced biological phosphorous removal; return-activated sludge; anaerobic volume; Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences; Limnology; Water; Resources
Abstract
Enhanced biological phosphorous removal (EBPR) performance was found to be adequate with reduced return -activated sludge (RAS) flows (50% of available RAS) to the anaerobic tank and smaller-than-typical anaerobic zone volume (1.08 hours hydraulic retention time [HRT]). Three identical parallel biological nutrient removal pilot plants were fed with strong, highly fermented (160 mg/L volatile fatty acids [VFAs]), domestic and industrial wastewater from a full-scale wastewater treatment facility. The pilot plants were operated at 100, 50, 40, and 25% RAS (percent of available RAS) flows to the anaerobic tank, with the remaining RAS to the anoxic tank. In addition, varying anaerobic HRT (1.08 and 1.5 hours) and increased hydraulic loading (35% increase) were examined. The study was divided into four phases, and the effect of these process variations on EBPR were studied by having one different variable between two identical systems. The most significant conclusion was that returning part of the RAS to the anaerobic zone did not decrease EBPR performance; instead, it changed the location of phosphorous release and uptake. Bringing less RAS to the anaerobic and more to the anoxic tank decreased anaerobic phosphorus release and increased anoxic phosphor-us release (or decreased anoxic phosphorus uptake). Equally important is that, with VFA-rich influent wastewater, excessive anaerobic volume was shown to hurt overall phosphorus removal, even when it resulted in increased anaerobic phosphorus release.
Journal Title
Water Environment Research
Volume
77
Issue/Number
5
Publication Date
1-1-2005
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
455
Last Page
464
WOS Identifier
ISSN
1061-4303
Recommended Citation
"Effects of reduced return activated sludge flows and volume on anaerobic zone performance for a septic wastewater biological phosphorus removal system" (2005). Faculty Bibliography 2000s. 5444.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2000/5444
Comments
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