Variation in bacterial community structure of aerobic granular and suspended activated sludge in the presence of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole.

The treatment performance and bacterial community structure of conventional activated sludge and aerobic granules exposed to antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was studied. For three months, two sets of sequencing batch reactors inoculated with conventional and granular biomass were fed with a synthetic municipal wastewater containing 2 μg/L SMX. The presence of SMX had no significant impacts on treatment performance of the reactors as well as stability of the granules.

Removal of antibiotic sulfamethoxazole by anoxic/anaerobic/oxic granular and suspended activated sludge processes.

This study investigates the removal of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in two sets of anoxic/anaerobic/oxic sequencing batch reactors inoculated with either suspended or granular activated sludge. Continuously, for three months, 2 μg/L SMX was spiked into the reactor feeds in a synthetic municipal wastewater with COD, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) of 400, 43 and 7 mg/L, respectively. The presence of SMX had no significant impact on treatment performance of the suspended and granular biomass.

Treatment of old landfill leachate with high ammonium content using aerobic granular sludge.

Background: Aerobic granular sludge has become an attractive alternative to the conventional activated sludge due to its high settling velocity, compact structure, and higher tolerance to toxic substances and adverse conditions. Aerobic granular sludge process has been studied intensively in the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater. However, information on leachate treatment using aerobic granular sludge is very limited.

Long-term stability and nutrient removal efficiency of aerobic granules at low organic loads.

The feasibility of application of aerobic granular sludge cultivated with high organic loads for biological nutrient removal (BNR) from low-strength wastewater was studied. Granules obtained with high-strength (COD=1400mg/L) wastewater were fed with medium (COD=700mg/L) and then low-strength (COD=400mg/L) wastewater. The granules rapidly acclimated to the medium-strength wastewater.