Long-term Stability of Aerobic Granular Sludge Under Low Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio

Abstract

Long-term stability is important for the practical application of aerobic granular sludge system under low carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N). In this study, aerobic granular sludge, seeded in the reactors A and B, were cultivated under low C/N to investigate the properties, performance, and resilience to shock load in the long-term operation. The load of carbon and nitrogen in the feed was increased gradually. The C/N of reactor A was kept at 2, while that of reactor B was kept at 4 initially and then reduced to 2 in the shock load stage. It was discovered that the aerobic granular sludge stored at 4℃ for 30 days was essentially revived after 25 days of cultivation in reactors A and B, with over 90% removal efficiency for COD and ammonia, respectively. In the following stages, the removal efficiencies of COD and ammonia in reactor B were over 90% and complete nitrification was achieved. In contrast, in reactor A, the removal efficiency of COD was only 80% and only partial nitrification was achieved; however, ammonia removal efficiency of 90% was finally achieved. In the shock load stage, the COD removal efficiencies in reactors A and B were still above 80%, but the ammonia removal efficiencies were severely affected. The removal of ammonia was deteriorated in reactor A, while only partial nitrification was achieved in reactor B. During the entire operation, the physical properties of the aerobic granules in reactors A and B were barely affected, with sludge volume index (SVI30) in reactors A and B maintained at 60 mL ·g-1 and 75 mL ·g-1, and mixed liquid suspended solid (MLSS) at 5 g ·L-1and 3.7 g ·L-1, respectively. Microbial analysis showed that the aerobic granular sludge in reactor B has richer and more diverse microbial community than that in reactor A. The abundance of Zoogloea in reactor B, which is simultaneously able to produce polymeric protein and stabilize the structure of the aerobic granules, may be favorable for the high stability of the aerobic granules. These findings suggested that the aerobic granular system under the C/N of 4 had better performance in ammonia removal and higher tolerance to shock load, which guaranteed high stability of the aerobic granular sludge system in long-term operation, as compared to that under the C/N of 2.