Study on the Aerobic Granulation and Properties of

Aerobic Granules

WANG Xin-gangaˈLIN Tinga ZHANG Sheng-jub

a. School of Biology & Chemical Engineering, b. School of Civil Engineering & Architecture,
Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology,
Zhenjiang, China Zhenjiang, China
hofs@163.com zhangshengjuwxg@163.com

Abstract-The granulation process of aerobic granular sludge was time relay. The influent of the pillar was supplied by two
studied in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with experiment pumps. The sludge was aerated by air pump.
method, using the floccules activated sludge as seeding sludge.
Meanwhile, the properties of the aerobic granules and the
removal of COD with the growth of the granules were also
investigated. Through 140 days continuous operation, aerobic
granular sludge was successfully cultivated in the reactor. The
aerobic granules, oval and black, were structure close-grained
with the particle size approximately 2-3mm. The SVI of sludge
was about 40 ml/g, and the settle ability was 10cm/s. Feeding with
the influent COD about 1000mg/L, the effluent COD was only
maintained lower than 100 mg/L with the removal ratio more
than 90%.
Keywords- aerobic granulation; SBR; aerobic granules
I. INTRODUCTION
Granules making up aerobic granular activated sludge are
to be understood as aggregates of microbial origin, which do
not coagulate under reduced hydrodynamic shear, and which
settle significantly faster than activated sludge flocs. Aerobic Figure 1. Photo of experimental apparatus
granulation is rapidly developed for wastewater treatment as a
developing environmental biotechnology recently, which has B. seed sludge
been commonly cultivated in sequencing batch reactors The seed sludge was taken from an aeration tank in Jingkou
(SBR)[1-4]. Aerobic granule is the self-aggregated granular sewage plant in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province. The SVI of the
microbial, cultivated in aerobic conditions. Compared with seed sludge was 110ml/g.
common activated sludge system, the granules character with
high microbial density, excellent settle ability, little surplus C. Experimental feed and analytical instruments
sludge and simple separation process for effluent. Meanwhile, Putting the seed sludge into the pillar and aerated by the air
the reactor aerobic granules performs compact structure and pump with the air flow of 40L/min. The air lifted the sludge in
without the secondary sedimentation tank and refluxing the mean time of aeration. The original MLSS in the SBR pillar
equipment, which lead to the technology of aerobic granules was 6000 mg/L. The operation cycle of the SBR is settling,
for wastewater to present many advantages, such as simple 5-10 min; reacting with aeration 6h; discharging 2min. The
process, flexible operation, small occupation area and low cost total cycle time was about 6h. Each exchange water volume
of investment operation[5-6]. So it is a potential technology for was 2L. The aerobic granules developed at 2ć and 30ć.
wastewater treatment.
The feeding influent is the artificial simulation wastewater
II. MATERIALS AND METHODS of sewage. The quality was COD 800-1200mg/L, TN
A. Experimental apparatus 40-60mg/L, TP 5-15mg/L. The monitoring method of COD,
MLVSS, and SVI came from the national standard of China.
The aerobic granulation was conducted in a SBR pillar with
the diameter of 12cm and the height 120cm (Figure2). There III. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
are 3 holes in the pillar to effluent, and the spacing of each hole The experiment was lasted more than 140d. After cultivated
is 30cm. The ground distance of the bottom hole is 30 cm. The about 60d, the aerobic granules appeared and its properties
feeding influent and aerator are controlled by 3 time relays. were different with the common activated sludge. The change
The effluent is controlled by an electromagnetic valve and a

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of the MLVSS, SVI, size and setting rate of the granules are period, the aerobic granule was not cultivated but the
described under below. characteristics of the sludge had changed, compared with the
A. Change of the MLVSS & SVI of the sludge seed sludge. After 60d, the settling rate increased rapidly. In
the later 60d, the rate increased 8 times of that at the 60th day.
7000 140 Till the end of the experiment (140d), the settling rate of the
MLVSS sludge came to 9.8 cm/s, which showed that the aerobic
6000 120 granules settled well, its settling rate were almost 10 times of
SVI
5000 100 the common activated sludge flocs. The well settling ability
MLVSS(mg/l)

made the aerobic granules need little settling time and small

SVI(ml/g)
4000 80 sedimentation tank, witch means less constructed cost.
3000 60 C. Charateristics of the granules size
2000 40
The stability of aerobic granules has also been evaluated by
analyzing the changes of granule size before and after
1000 20 cultivation. The change was calculated based on the
differences of mean granule diameter before and after the test.
0 0
The change of the granules size is as follows:
49 80 7
110 28
140
3.5
time(d)
Figure 2. Change of the MLVSS & SVI of the sludge in the SBR pillar 3.0

Granules size˄mm˅
At the early time of the experiment (early 40d), because the
2.5
settling time was only 5-10min, the seed sludge could not well
settled, some sludge floc was discharged out of the pillar. In 2.0
this period, the MLVSS of the SBR pillar decreased slowly.
Accordingly, SVI of the sludge decreased with lose of the 1.5
sludge. After 60d, the aerobic granules appeared, the MLVSS 1.0
increased with time, till 80d, the MLVSS came to 6000mg/L.
the SVI did not increase with the MLVSS, after a stable period 0.5
(from 20-40d), SVI began to decreased from 60ml/g, till the 0.0
end of the experiment, the SVI was almost 40ml/g. 30 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 100 115
Granulation is a self-immobilization process in which time˄d˅
microorganisms agglomerate and develop to dense and
Figure 4. Chang of the granules size
compact biomass granules. And the aerobic granule is of high The granules size changed little in the early 50d, and the
biomass retention. In the experiment, the MLVSS came to sizes were more in 0.01-0.1mm. With the time flowed, the
6000mg/L, a high level, but the aerobic granules settle well, aerobic granules appeared, and the size increased slowly at the
the SVI is only 40ml/g, far lower than the common activated beginning of 50d, after that, the size fast increased in the later
sludge flocs (SVI 100-150 ml/g). 30d, up to 2.0mm. Especially at the 110thday, the size came to
B. Change of the settling rate of the sludge 3.2mm. In the stable operation period (after 110d), the
The change of the settling rate of the sludge was expressed granules size changed little.
in figure 3.
10
9
8
Settling rate(cm/s)

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
7 21 44 49 55 65 90 115 140 Figure 5. Photo of aerobic granules after experiment
time(d) The figure 5 shows the appearance of the aerobic granules
Figure 3. Change of settling rate of the sludge after the experiment. The sludge diameters were mainly in
In the early 60d of the experiment, the settling rate of the 2.0-3.0mm, with high strength. The color of aerobic granular
sludge increased slowly, only from 0.5 cm/s to 1.2cm/s. In this


sludge is black and the outer figure is sphere or ellipse, in [4] Yu Liu, Joo Hwatay. The essential role of hydrodynamic shear force in
the formation of biofilm and granular sludge [J]. Water Research, 2002,
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[5] HUANG Yufeng, ZHANG Lili, HAO Wei. Cultivation and removal
D. Removal of COD efficiency of aerobic granular sludge in SBR [J]. China Water &
Wastewater, 2005, 21(2): 53-55.
[6] Hu L.L., Wang J.L., Wen X.H., et al. The formation and characteristics
1400 100 of aerobic granules in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) by seeding
anaerobic granules[J]. Process Biochemistry, 2005, 40:5-11.
1200
96

removal ratio(%)
1000
COD(mg/l)

800 92

600 88
400 Feed water
effluent 84
200 removal ratio

0 80
41 46 50 55 59 80 100 120 140
time(d)
Figure 6. Removal of COD
During the initial stage of stable operation, the COD removal
rate is higher than 85%, indicating that the aerobic granular
sludge has better contaminant removal effect. The feeding
influent quality was kept stability in 800-1200mg/L, the SBR
has high removal rate of COD. With the forming of aerobic
granules, the rate increased from 85% to 92%. The COD in
effluent was lower than 100mg/L.
Č. CONCLUSION
• From the MLVSS & SVI analysis of aerobic granules, it can
be seen that the MLVSS is much higher than common
activated sludge flocs, but the SVI is much lower. At the
initial experiment period, the sludge was discharged from the
SBR; MLVSS bacame lower, but with the granules appeared,
MLVSS increased.
• The granules size changed little in the early 50d, more in
0.01-0.1mm. In the stable operation period (after 110d), the
granules size also changed little. Till the end of the experiment
(140d), the settling rate of the sludge came to 9.8 cm/s, the
sludge diameters were mainly in 2.0-3.0mm, with high
strength. The color of aerobic granular sludge is black and the
outer figure is sphere or ellipse, in which holes or cavities
exist on the surface or interior.
• With the feeding influent quality was 800-1200mg/L, the
aerobic granules had high removal rate of COD, up to 92%.
The effluent COD was lower than 100mg/L.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This study was financially supported by the Natural science
fund for colleges and universities in Jiangsu Province (Grant
No: 10KJB610003) and the Startup Foundation for Doctors of
Jiangsu University of Science and Technology.
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