title: Polyphosphate buffering by biomass with different phosphorus contents.
abstract: Polyphosphate buffering is a novel application of enhanced biological phosphorus (P) removal (EBPR) for P-deficient wastewaters with influent organic load variability. This study investigated the effect of biomass P content on polyphosphate buffering using a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and conventional bioreactor (CBR). Increasing the biomass P content increased polyphosphate buffering and the COD removal capacity, but at high P content (i.e. 20% P/TSS) the effluent P levels increased and a smaller fraction of available P was used for buffering. The MBR produced lower total effluent TSS levels and lower P levels than the CBR at both medium biomass P content (i.e. 12% P/TSS) and at low P content (i.e. 5% P/TSS) when the COD removal capacity was not exceeded. At high biomass P content, the MBR and CBR produced elevated effluent P levels. This study showed that the MBR does not make polyphosphate buffering feasible at high P content.
authors.affiliation: 238 Harbert Engineering Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA. harpewf@auburn.edu
authors.forename: Willie F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.forename: Olange
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Anise
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis*; D011122:Polyphosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D011122:Polyphosphates; D014867:Water; D010758:Phosphorus