Optimization of Wastewater Phosphorus Removal in Winter Temperatures Using an Anaerobic-Critical Aerobic Strategy in a Pilot-Scale Sequencing Batch Reactor

Biological phosphorus removal using an anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) in a low temperature can be difficult to remove, and aeration always accounts for nearly half of the total electricity costs at many wastewater treatment plants. In this study, a pilot-scale anaerobic-critical aerobic SBR (A-CA SBR) was developed for synthetic domestic wastewater. More importantly, the phase, whose concentration of diffused oxygen was controlled at 1.0-1.5 mg/L, was defined as a critical aerobic phase, which reduced expenses during the operation. To be specific, half of the ammonia was removed within 10 days and no NO3--N was accumulated during the process. From the SEM and metagenome analysis, Rhodocyclus, Zooglea, Dechloromonas, and Simplicispira had the ability to remove phosphorus and NO3--N simultaneously, which proved the existence of a potential double-layer sludge structure under an A-CA operational condition. All of the results disclose that the pilot-scale A-CA SBR is a reliable manipulation strategy for phosphorus removal under low temperatures, which can hopefully apply to practical wastewater remediation.