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Abstract
Nutrients in piggery wastewater with high organic matter, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus
(P) content were biologically removed in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with anaerobic,
aerobic and anoxic stages. The SBR was operated with 3 cycles/day, temperature 30
degrees C, sludge retention time (SRT) 1 day and hydraulic retention time (HRT) 11
days. With a wastewater containing 1500 mg/l ammonium and 144 mg/l phosphate, a removal
efficiency of 99.7% for nitrogen and 97.3% for phosphate was obtained. Experiments
set up to evaluate the effect of temperature on the process showed that it should
be run at temperatures higher than 16 degrees C to obtain good removals (> 95%). Batch
tests (ammonia utilization rate, nitrogen utilization rate and oxygen utilization
rate) proved to be good tools to evaluate heterotrophic and autotrophic biomass activity.
The SBR proved to be a very flexible tool, and was particularly suitable for the treatment
of piggery wastewater, characterized by high nutrient content and by frequent changes
in composition and therefore affecting process conditions.