Dr Yongqiang Liu and colleagues in the Aerobic Granulation Processes WG have been working with water companies to take samples of granular sludge and conventional activated sludge (AS) from full-scale wastewater treatment plants in the UK. One aim of the study is to investigate the performance of granular sludge in terms of retention of functional bacteria in comparison to flocculant AS as well as the resilience to seasonal changes.
Dr Liu said, “Our previous study showed that AGS contained more filamentous bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAO) while exhibiting comparable levels of phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO) compared to suspended AS. These findings are reported in our paper below. Building on this work, we have completed a year-long sampling campaign of AGS and AS and are currently carrying out sample analysis on seasonal changes, with particular emphasis on key functional bacterial groups. We plan to report these new findings in the near future, providing insight into nutrient removal by AGS and AS for improved process optimisation and control”.
A brief description of this ongoing work is available HERE. Watch out for more updates in the next few months!
A comprehensive comparison of microbial communities between aerobic granular sludge and flocculent sludge for nutrient removal in full-scale wastewater treatment plants. Pincam, T., Liu, Y.Q., Booth, A., Wang, Y., Lan, G. and Zeng, P., 2024. Chemosphere, 362, p.142644.
Image from the short animation prepared by the AG WG
