Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the physiological and biochemical bases of enhanced biological phosphorus (P) removal (EBPR) by microorganisms; this process is characterized by the exposure of activated sludge to periods with and without aeration: the “aerobic” and “anaerobic” phases. In the aerobic stage of EBPR, the microorganisms containing stored poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)/poly-β-hydroxyvalerate (PHV) replenish their internal polyP reserves, and in doing so, they take up not only the phosphate released during the anaerobic phase of the process but also nearly all the available phosphate from the surrounding environment. The selective enrichment of microorganisms capable of polyP accumulation through the cycling of activated sludge between anaerobic and aerobic zones is, therefore, the basis of conventional EBPR technology. Under favorable conditions, EBPR plants can remove 80–90% of influent phosphate, achieving residual P levels in effluent of less than 1 mg/liter and producing sludges with P content of up to 15%.
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