title: Partial nitrification using aerobic granules in continuous-flow reactor: rapid startup.
abstract: This study applied a novel strategy to rapid startup of partial nitrification in continuous-flow reactor using aerobic granules. Mature aerobic granules were first cultivated in a sequencing batch reactor at high chemical oxygen demand in 16 days. The strains including the Pseudoxanthomonas mexicana strain were enriched in cultivated granules to enhance their structural stability. Then the cultivated granules were incubated in a continuous-flow reactor with influent chemical oxygen deamnad being stepped decreased from 1,500 ± 100 (0-19 days) to 750 ± 50 (20-30 days), and then to 350 ± 50 mg l(-1) (31-50 days); while in the final stage 350 mg l(-1) bicarbonate was also supplied. Using this strategy the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea, was enriched in the incubated granules to achieve partial nitrification efficiency of 85-90% since 36 days and onwards. The partial nitrification granules were successfully harvested after 52 days, a period much shorter than those reported in literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Chunli
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Supu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Duu-Jong
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiangliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D019149:Bioreactors; D017931:DNA Primers; D058465:Nitrification; D044166:Xanthomonadaceae / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers
keywords: Aerobic granules; Colony library; Continuous flow reactor; PCR-DGGE; Partial nitrification