Anammox start-up strategies: the use of local mixed activated sludge seed versus Anammox seed.

The start-up period of Anammox systems is still a big challenge due to the unavailability of large volumes of slowly growing Anammox seed locally in most countries. This study aims to evaluate the effects of seeding strategy on the start-up and enrichment period of Anammox systems by monitoring both process performance and microbial population dynamics. Two different seeding strategies, the use of mixed activated sludge culture from a local STP and the use of enriched Anammox culture transported from abroad, were comparatively studied in SBR systems operated for 410 days.