Rapid cultivation of aerobic granular sludge for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in SBAR system

The cultivation of aerobic granular sludge used for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) in sequencing batch airlift reactor (SBAR) fed with synthetic municipal wastewater was investigated. The results showed that the aerobic granular sludge with the ability of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification could form in the reactor in a short time (35d) due to better shear force and selective pressure. The average diameter of the granules was around 1.0 mm, and MLSS and SVI were about 7g/L, 30 mg/L, respectively. Both the amount of active microorganism and removal nitrogen ability of the sludge were much better than that of conventional active sludge.