Multiple-cycle operation of sulphur-cycle-enhanced biological phosphorus removal to maintain stable performance at high temperatures

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2019-10, Vol.289, p.121736-121736, Article 121736
• Main Authors: Wang, Hai-Guang, Biswal, Basanta Kumar, Mao, Yan-Ping, Chen, Guang-Hao, Wu, Di
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Glycogen; Polyhydroxyalkanoates; Polyphosphate accumulating organisms; Sulphur bacteria
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121736

•This study found very stable and high P removal in SEBPR run at high temperature.•P removal at normal cycle was 77 ± 18%, while 88 ± 9% under multiple cycle operation.•PHA and glycogen were high at normal (≥10), but low at multiple cycle (5 mg C/gVSS).•Proteobacteria (14–52%) and Bacteroidetes (12–39%) phyla were the major communities.•Genera Thioalbus (SOB) and Psychrobacter (PAOs) were enriched in SEBPR system. This study investigated a new method of multiple-cycle operation of a sulphur-cycle-enhanced biological phosphorus (P) removal system to maintain good phosphorus removal performance at a high temperature (30 °C). The findings demonstrate that P removal was low and unstable under a normal cycle (77 ± 18%), but multiple cycles resulted in a high and quite stable level of P removal (88 ± 9%). Moreover, in the normal mode, the polyhydroxyalkanoate levels increased significantly from 2 to 15 mg C/g of VSS, the glycogen level doubled from 5 to 10 mg C/g of VSS and the polyhydroxyalkanoate and glycogen levels were maintained at considerably low levels after multiple cycles (only 5 C/g of VSS). The 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that the genera Thioalbus and Psychrobacter in the gamma-Proteobacteria class were the key functional communities. These findings suggest a high level of P removal with multiple cycles of sulphur-cycle enhanced biological phosphorus removal.