Characterization of nitrifying granules produced in an aerobic upflow fluidized bed reactor

Since nitrification is the rate-determining step in the biological nitrogen removal from wastewater, many research studies have been conducted on the immobilization of nitrifying bacteria. In this research, granulation of nitrifying bacteria in an aerobic upflow fluidized bed (AUFB) reactor in a nitrification process for inorganic wastewater containing 500 g/m^3 of NH4+-N was investigated. It was observed that spherical, pseudocubic and elliptical granules with a diameter of 346 (mu)m were produced at the bottom of the reactor after 300 days. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that Nitrosomonas-like bacteria were the dominant ammonia-oxidizing species in the granules. Many colonies of Nitrosomonas-like bacteria were found in the outer part of the granules based on the spatial distribution analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization. By stepwise reduction of the hydraulic retention time, the ammonia removal rate of the AUFB reactor containing these nitrifying granules finally reached 1.5 kg-N/m^3/day. Results suggested that the use of granules realizes the retention of a large amount of nitrifying bacteria in the reactor, which guarantees a highly efficient nitrification.