Title: Effect of cycle period and substrate composition on phosphorous removal potential of a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor

Authors: Gargi Biswas, Anupam Debsarkar, Somnath Mukherjee, Siddhartha Datta, Sunil Kumar, Ackmez Mudhoo

Addresses: Department of Civil Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032, India. ' Department of Civil Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032, India. ' Department of Civil Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032, India. ' Department of Civil Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032, India. ' National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), I-8, Sector 'C', East Kolkata, New Township, EM Bypass, Kolkata 700 107, India. ' Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius

Abstract: The performance of a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) of 20-litre capacity was evaluated for simultaneous removal of soluble COD (SCOD), NH4+–N and phosphorus by changing the compositions and concentrations of substrates under different combinations of REACT period. The total cycle period of 10 h comprised 0.5 h FILL period, 8 h REACT period, 1 h SETTLE period and 0.5 h IDLE/DRAW period with the react period being divided into two combinations of anoxic (A) and aerobic (O) react period namely (4 h + 4 h) (A/O) and (3 h + 3 h + 2 h) (A/O/A). The initial SCOD concentration was kept constant at 2000 mg/l while the initial NH4+–N concentrations were taken as 90 mg/l and 180 mg/l as N tentatively. Results for total phosphorus accumulation capacity indicated that the A/O/A combination was more conducive to total phosphorus uptake at 90.26 mg P/g MLVSS than the A/O combination in the aerobic reaction period which followed the initial 3-h anoxic react period.

Keywords: sequencing batch reactors; cycle period; phosphorus removal; environmental technology; substrate composition; wastewater treatment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2011.039273

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2011 Vol.14 No.1/2/3/4, pp.252 - 268

Published online: 29 Jan 2015 *

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