Importance of Control of Cycle Duration and Empty Bed Retention Time on Phosphorus Bio-accumulation in Continuous Alternating Anaerobic/Aerobic Biofilters

摘要

Simultaneous removal and recovery of phosphorus (P) from municipal wastewater has been promoted as a global resource strategy. To improve the removal and recovery rate of phosphorus, the integrated role of anaerobic/aerobic cycle duration (T_(CD)) and the empty bed retention time (T_(EBRT)) on phosphorus removal or accumulation was observed for 9 months in a bench-scale continuous alternating anaerobic/aerobic biofilter system (CAABF). The study found that phosphorus accumulation deficiencies frequently occurred in the CAABFs, resulting from the over extension of T_(CD) after net phosphorus accumulation rates were maximized. In addition, the effect of T_(CD) on phosphorus accumulation efficiency was highly dependent on T_(EBRT). A simplified empirical model was developed to elucidate the interrelationship between T_(CD), T_(EBRT) and total phosphorus (TP) accumulation in the biomass.