Storage and subsequent reactivation of phosphate-accumulating aerobic granules

Abstract

Phosphate-accumulating aerobic granules cultivated in a sequencing batch reactor were composed of inner rod-shaped bacteria aggregates and outer twining filamentous bacteria. The influence of two-month storage under different conditions on the storage and subsequent reactivation performance of aerobic granules was investigated. After two-month storage the granules sealed at 4 °C in distilled water or normal saline (named granules A and granules B, respectively) could maintain their characteristics as before, while the granules idled in the reactor at room temperature (named granules C) exhibited decreased properties. During reactivation, granules A and granules B presented almost identical recovery performance, faster than granules C, in terms of phosphorus removal efficiency, mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), phosphate release and accumulating ability. The results suggest that hermetical storage at low temperature promoted the maintenance of the granular properties and the reviving behaviors of phosphate-accumulating aerobic granules, and storage medium had little influence on the storage and recovery performance.

Keywords

phosphate-accumulating aerobic granules / storage / reactivation / granular structure

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