Biological phosphorus and nitrogen removal with biological aerated filter using denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organism.

In order to accomplish the biological nutrient removal with a weak sewage at low temperature, a hybrid process consisted of anoxic denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organism (dPAO) and nitrifying biological aerated filter (BAF) was studied in both lab and field pilot plants with weak sewage. The biofilm BAF was used as a post-nitrification process that provided sufficient nitrate to suspended growth dPAO. The anoxic/BAF configuration could remove nitrogen and phosphorus appreciably compared to other BNR systems. The enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) was mainly occurred in anoxic zone of suspended growth reactor. It has been found that P removal efficiency of dPAO was enhanced with an addition of a short oxic zone in suspended reactors compared to that of without oxic zone. However, the degree of aerobic P uptake in oxic zone was far lower than anoxic P uptake. The operating results of field plant indicated that dPAO/BAF configuration successfully reduced the adverse temperature effects at lower than 15 degrees C.