Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in an aerobic reactor with granular sludge originating from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor

Anaerobic granular sludge, obtained from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor at a brewery waste treatment station, was cultured for 3 months under aeration conditions until the diameter of sludge was in the range 1.8 to 2.6 mm. The aerobic granular sludge gathered acquired the ability of catalyzing simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) and was applied in the study of the process of nitrogen removal in a bioreactor. The ratio between chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+-N) concentration in the influent was found to be an important factor influencing the process of SND. The final percentage removal of NH4+-N reached 100% under the optimal condition of 500 mg/L COD and 0.39 NH4+-N/COD. Intermediate products, such as nitrite-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen, were also analyzed to clarify the SND process with the aerobic granular sludge.