Full Length Research Paper

A potential explanation for the effect of carbon source on the characteristics of acetate-fed and glucose-fed aerobic granules

Jiangya Zhou, Xiaojuan Yu, Zhiping Wang*, Cong Ding and Weimin Cai*

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Dongchuan Road 800, Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China.

*Corresponding authors. E-mail: wmcai001@163.com.  Tel: +86 21 54747354.

Fax: +86 21 54748019.

Abbreviations: MLSS, Mixed liquor suspended solids; SVI, sludge volume index; SBRs, sequencing batch reactors.

Accepted 25 June, 2010

   Abstract

This paper proposes a new theory to account for the effect of carbon source on the characteristics of acetate-fed and glucose-fed aerobic granules. It is well known that reactor pH can vary in response to the oxidation of glucose or sodium acetate. As such, the effects associated with the carbon sources may be explained by the changed pH. The proposal was explored by experiments. Aerobic granules were cultivated in three identical sequencing batch reactors (SBRs, R1, R2 and R3), fed with sodium acetate, glucose, glucose and maintained pH at 4.5 - 5.5 (the variation of reactor pH in the oxidation of glucose), 4.5 - 5.5 and 7.5 - 8.5 (the variation of reactor pH in the oxidation of sodium acetate), respectively, and the effects of carbon source and reactor pH on the characteristics of aerobic granules were assessed. The results showed that the characteristics of aerobic granules, including microbial structure, mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), sludge volume index (SVI) and nitrification-denitrification, were strongly affected by reactor pH, but were independent with the carbon source supplied. These results fully supported the validity of the new theory. The theory suggests that the cultivation of aerobic granules with glucose or sodium acetate should take more attention to reactor pH rather than carbon source itself. The implications of this theory are discussed with regards to the other common carbon sources as well as better understanding of the mechanisms of aerobic granulation.

Key words: Acetate-fed granules, glucose-fed granules, reactor pH, carbon source, characteristics.