Performance of A 2 NO-MBR process in treating synthetic and municipal wastewater

Abstract

In this study, a novel anaerobic-anoxic/nitrification (A₂N) two-sludge sequencing batch reactor (SBR) configured with post-aeration (A₂NO-membrane bioreactor process) was conducted to evaluate the operational efficiency, process characteristics, and microbial community structure in treating synthetic and municipal wastewater. When influent C/N ratios were 4.2–8.6, the removal efficiencies of COD, NH₄⁺-N, TN, and TP were 86.4–90.0, 85.2–93.6, 61.8–76.0, and 97.6–99.3%, respectively, and the effluent concentrations met the first level A criteria of GB18918-2002. Phosphorus removal was mainly in anoxic phase with a removal rate of 0.54–1.30 mgP/(gMLSS h), accounting for 75.9–99.7%. Enhanced phosphorus removal was observed during post-aeration phase with a removal rate of 0.06–0.55 mgP/(gMLSS h). Additionally, Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP) and pH could reflect the process of anaerobic phosphorus release and anoxic denitrifying phosphorus removal. DO and pH could indicate the end of nitrification. Moreover, Candidatus Accumulibacter and Dechloromonas related to biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal were enriched effectively with total proportions of 15.9 and 11.5% in treating synthetic and municipal wastewater, respectively.