The investigation of effect of organic carbon sources addition in anaerobic–aerobic (low dissolved oxygen) sequencing batch reactor for nutrients removal from wastewaters

The effect of addition of organic carbon sources (acetic acid and waste activated sludge alkaline fermentation liquid) on anaerobic–aerobic (low dissolved oxygen, 0.15–0.45 mg/L) biological municipal wastewater treatment was investigated. The results showed that carbon source addition affected not only the transformations of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), glycogen, nitrogen and phosphorus, but the net removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. The removal efficiencies of TN and TP were, respectively, 61% and 61% without organic carbon source addition, 81% and 95% with acetic acid addition, and 83% and 97% with waste activated sludge alkaline fermentation liquid addition. It seems that the alkaline fermentation liquid of waste biosolids generated in biological wastewater treatment plant can be used to replace acetic acid as an additional carbon source to improve the anaerobic–aerobic (low dissolved oxygen) municipal wastewater nutrients removal although its use was observed to cause a slight increase of effluent BOD and COD concentrations.     

Denitrifying phosphorus removal and impact of nitrite accumulation on phosphorus removal in a continuous anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic (A2O) process treating domestic wastewater

A lab-scale anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic (A(2)O) process was operated to investigate denitrifying phosphorus removal and nitritation-denitritation from domestic wastewater, especially regarding the impact of nitrite accumulation caused by nitritation on phosphorus removal. The results showed that mean total nitrogen (TN) removal was only about 47% and phosphorus removal was almost zero without the pre-anoxic zone and additional carbon source. Contrastively, with configuration of pre-anoxic zone, TN and phosphorus removal was increased to 75% and 98%, respectively, as well as denitrifying phosphorus removal of 66-91% occurred in the anoxic zone. Nitritation-denitritation was achieved through a combination of short aerobic actual hydraulic retention time and low dissolved oxygen levels (0.3-0.5 mg/L); however, phosphorus removal deteriorated with increase of nitrite accumulation rates. The free nitrous acid (FNA) concentration of 0.002-0.003 mg HNO(2)-N/L in the aerobic zone inhibited phosphorus uptake, which was major cause of phosphorus removal deterioration. Through supplying the carbon sources to enhance denitrification and anaerobic phosphorus release, nitrite and FNA concentrations in the aerobic zone were reduced, and phosphorus removal was improved. Compared with nitrification-denitrification, nitritation-denitritation reduced the carbon requirement by 30% and performed biological nutrients removal well with mean TN and phosphorus removal of 85% and 96%, respectively.     

Enhanced nutrient removal in three types of step feeding process from municipal wastewater

An anoxic/oxic step feeding process was improved to enhance nutrient removal by reconfiguring the process into (1) anaerobic/anoxic/oxic step feeding process or (2) modified University of Capetown (UCT) step feeding process. Enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal and optimized organics utilization were obtained simultaneously in the modified UCT type with both internal and sludge recycle ratios of 75% as well as anaerobic/anoxic/oxic volume ratio of 1:3:6. Specifically, the UCT configuration and optimized operational conditions lead to the enrichment of denitrifying phosphorus removal microorganisms and achieved improved anaerobic P-release and anoxic P-uptake activities, which were beneficial to the denitrifying phosphorus removal activities and removal efficiencies. Due to high mixed liquor suspended solid and uneven distributed dissolved oxygen, 35% of total nitrogen was eliminated through simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process in aerobic zones. Moreover, 62 ± 6% of influent chemical oxygen demands was involved in the denitrification or phosphorus release processes.     

基于响应面法对一株好氧反硝化菌脱氮效能优化

【目的】水体富营养化是当今我国水环境面临的重大水域环境问题,氮素超标排放是主要的引发因素之一。好氧反硝化菌构建同步硝化反硝化工艺比传统脱氮工艺优势更大。获得高效的好氧反硝化菌株并通过生长因子优化使脱氮效率达到最高。【方法】经过序批式生物反应器(Sequencing batch reactor,SBR)的定向驯化,筛选获得高效好氧反硝化菌株,采用响应面法优化好氧反硝化过程影响总氮去除效率的关键因子(碳氮、溶解氧、pH、温度)。【结果】从运行稳定的SBR反应器中定向筛选高效好氧反硝化菌株Pseudomonas T13,采用响应面法对碳氮比、pH和溶解氧关键因子综合优化获得在18 h内最高硝酸盐去除率95%,总氮去除率90%。该菌株的高效反硝化效果的适宜温度范围为25?30 °C;最适pH为中性偏碱;适宜的COD/NO3?-N为4:1以上;最佳溶解氧浓度在2.5 mg/L。【结论】从长期稳定运行的SBR反应器中筛选获得一株高效好氧反硝化菌Pseudomonas T13,硝酸盐还原酶比例占脱氮酶基因的30%以上,通过运行条件优化获得硝氮去除率达到90%以上,对强化废水脱氮工艺具有良好应用价值。     

Metabolic transformations and characterisation of the sludge community in an enhanced biological phosphorus removal system

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal was performed in a continuous laboratory-scale two-reactor system with sludge recirculation over a 75-day period. Influent wastewater was a synthetic medium based on acetate, and the sludge age was kept at 12 days. The adapted sludge stored poly-β-hydroxyalkanoic acids (PHA) in the anaerobic reactor with a conversion ratio of 1.45 PHA/acetic acid (based on chemical O₂ demand: COD/COD) and gave ratio of a phosphate-P release to acetic acid uptake of 0.51 P/CH₃COOH (w/w). Fractionation of anaerobic and aerobic sludges showed that the main part of phosphorus taken up, was eluted in the trichloroacetic acid fraction indicating that it was polyphosphate. A total of 60% of the phosphorus in the aerobic sludge was solubilized in the trichloroacetic acid fraction, whereas this fraction accounted for only 32% of the phosphorus in the anaerobic sludge. Only 4% of the total phosphorus in the aerobic sludge and 2% in the anaerobic sludge was found in the EDTA fraction, indicating low amounts of metal-bound phosphates. Isolation on acetate-based agar medium showed that Acinetobacter strains were present in the sludge. However, a more complete analysis of the bacterial community of the sludge was obtained by creating a clone library based on the 16S rRNA gene. A total of 51 partial clone sequences were phylogenetically evaluated. The predominating group was found in the high-(G+C) (mol%) gram-positive bacterial subphylum (31% of the sequenced clones), while the gamma proteobacteria only constituted 9.8% of the clones. Received: 12 June 1997 / Received revision: 26 September 1997 / Accepted: 28 September 1997     

A sequencing batch reactor system for high-level biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal from abattoir wastewater

A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system is demonstrated to biologically remove nitrogen, phosphorus and chemical oxygen demand (COD) to very low levels from abattoir wastewater. Each 6 h cycle contained three anoxic/anaerobic and aerobic sub-cycles with wastewater fed at the beginning of each anoxic/anaerobic period. The step-feed strategy was applied to avoid high-level build-up of nitrate or nitrite during nitrification, and therefore to facilitate the creation of anaerobic conditions required for biological phosphorus removal. A high degree removal of total phosphorus (>98%), total nitrogen (>97%) and total COD (>95%) was consistently and reliably achieved after a 3-month start-up period. The concentrations of total phosphate and inorganic nitrogen in the effluent were consistently lower than 0.2 mg P l⁻¹ and 8 mg N l⁻¹, respectively. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that the sludge was enriched in Accumulibacter spp. (20–40%), a known polyphosphate accumulating organism, whereas the known glycogen accumulating organisms were almost absent. The SBR received two streams of abattoir wastewater, namely the effluent from a full-scale anaerobic pond (75%) and the effluent from a lab-scale high-rate pre-fermentor (25%), both receiving raw abattoir wastewater as feed. The pond effluent contained approximately 250 mg N l⁻¹ total nitrogen and 40 mg P l⁻¹ of total phosphorus, but relatively low levels of soluble COD (around 500 mg l⁻¹). The high-rate lab-scale pre-fermentor, operated at 37°C and with a sludge retention time of 1 day, proved to be a cheap and effective method for providing supplementary volatile fatty acids allowing for high-degree of biological nutrient removal from abattoir wastewater.     

Phosphate Release and Uptake by Pure Cultures of Acinetobacter sp.: Effect of the Volatile Fatty Acids Concentration

Phosphorus release and uptake by pure cultures of Acinetobacter strains were investigated under anaerobic and aerobic conditions respectively. Tests were performed to study the relationship between phosphorus release-storage reaction and behavior of extracellular organic substrates: acetic, propionic, and butyric acids have been used at four concentrations (50, 100, 500, and 1000 mg · L⁻¹) in the anaerobic step of biological phosphorus removal. The results obtained depend on the strain and the volatile fatty acid (VFA) used. Phosphorus released under anaerobic condition was not always related to the amount of VFA or phosphorus consumed. Phosphorus uptake (P-uptake) in the aerobic step was found to be independent of phosphorus release rates. The best phosphorus uptake rates were obtained by Acinetobacter lwoffi ATCC21130 and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Genoespecie SUCT-5 with butyric acid as carbon source. Received: 20 May 1996 / Accepted: 8 July 1996     

Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal from nutrient-rich industrial wastewater using granular sludge

The biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from nutrient-rich abattoir wastewater using granular sludge has been investigated. A lab-scale sequencing batch reactor, seeded with granular sludge developed using synthetic wastewater, was operated for 13 months under alternating anaerobic and aerobic conditions. It is demonstrated that the granules could be sustained and indeed further developed with the use of abattoir wastewater. The organic, nitrogen, and phosphorus loading rates applied were 2.7 gCOD L(-1) day(-1), 0.43 gN L(-1) day(-1), and 0.06 gP L(-1) day(-1), respectively. The removal efficiency of soluble COD, soluble nitrogen and soluble phosphorus were 85%, 93%, and 89%, respectively. However, the high suspended solids in the effluent limited the overall removal efficiency to 68%, 86%, and 74% for total COD, TN, and TP, respectively. This good nutrient removal was achieved through the process known as simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal, likely facilitated by the presence of large anoxic zones in the center of the granules. The removal of nitrogen was likely via nitrite optimizing the use of the limited COD available in the wastewater. Accumulibacter spp. were found to be responsible for most of the denitrification, further reducing the COD requirement for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Mineral precipitation was evaluated and was not found to significantly contribute to the overall nutrient removal. It is also shown that the minimum HRT in a granular sludge system is not governed by the sludge settleability, as is the case with floccular sludge systems, but likely by the limitations associated with the transfer of substrates in granules.     

亚硝酸盐对污水生物除磷影响的研究进展

亚硝酸盐作为生物硝化和反硝化的中间产物, 存在于污水生物脱氮除磷系统中。对于生物强化除磷工艺亚硝酸盐既是电子受体用于反硝化除磷, 同时又是抑制剂影响生物除磷过程。本文综述了聚磷菌在厌氧、好氧和缺氧环境中的代谢机理, 在此基础上分别从好氧除磷和反硝化除磷两方面介绍了亚硝酸盐对污水生物除磷影响的研究, 同时概述了亚硝酸盐对生物除磷的抑制机理, 并对该领域的研究提出了个人见解。     

利用Chlorella vulgaris C9-JN2010去除蓝藻-猪粪沼液废水中氮磷的研究

利用普通小球藻Chlorella vugaris C9-JN2010处理蓝藻-猪粪沼液废水,以实现废水无害化利用。实验考察了氮磷比和沼液浓度对小球藻生长及处理废水效果的影响,结果表明:在氮磷比(20:1)和沼液浓度(5%)条件下培养小球藻,藻细胞生长和废水处理效果最佳,最高细胞干重及生产强度分别为900.1 mg·L~(-1)和85.1 mg·L~(-1)·d~(-1),废水中总氮、总磷、氨氮的去除率分别为84.6%、95.9%和90.5%,对应去除强度分别为5.43 mg·L~(-1)·d~(-1)、0.30 mg·L~(-1)·d~(-1)和4.75 mg·L~(-1)·d~(-1)。利用小球藻可较彻底的去除蓝藻-猪粪沼液废水中氮、磷等营养,达到污水处理效果。     

Sequence optimization in a sequencing batch reactor for biological nutrient removal from domestic wastewater

The purpose of this work was to determine optimum sequence retention times for nutrient removal with low-cost using very short aeration time in an SBR treating domestic wastewater. During the study, four different CYCLEs were evaluated, with the highest removal efficiencies recorded for the CYCLE with fill, anaerobic, aerobic1, anoxic, aerobic2, settle, and decant sequences operated at retention times of 0.5, 2, 2, 1, 0.75, 1, and 0.5 h, respectively. For this CYCLE, the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia nitrogen (NH₃–N), total phosphorus (TP), and ortho-phosphate (PO₄–P) were found, on average, to be 91, 78, 85, 87, and 83%, respectively. The optimum sequence retention time was determined via the analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the Matlab software (Mathworks Inc.). The data indicated that the total time of the aerobic sequences was shorter than those of previous studies for similar level of removal efficiencies in all parameters including N and P.     

Phosphorus release by pure cultures of Acinetobacter sp. : effect of the growth stage with cells cultivated on various carbon sources

In order to understand biological phosphorus removal mechanisms, the role of growth stage and volatile fatty acids (VFA) on phosphate release in the anaerobic stage of P removal by three Acinetobacter strains was investigated. The phosphate release in anaerobic conditions was affected by the physiological state of cells and by the carbon source used. When the experiments were made with stationary growth phase cells, the release of phosphate was higher for all three strains cultured on acetic, propionic and butyric acid. Cells showed a limit to the amount of phosphate that could be released from total phosphate accumulated. Only 5–38% of P accumulated by the log cells and 18–58% of total P accumulated by stationary cells could be released. The ratio between the amount of P released and organic substrate removed under anaerobic condition varies depending on VFA types and tested strains.     

Effects of key operational parameters on biohydrogen production via anaerobic fermentation in a sequencing batch reactor

In this study, a series of tests were conducted in a 6 L anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) to investigate the effect of pH, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and organic loading rate on biohydrogen production at 28 °C. Sucrose was used as the main substrate to mimic carbohydrate-rich wastewater and inoculum was prepared from anaerobic digested sludge without pretreatment. The reactor was operated initially with nitrogen sparging to form anaerobic condition. Results showed that methanogens were effectively suppressed. The optimum pH value would vary depending on the HRT. Maximum hydrogen production rate and yield of 3.04 L H₂/L reactor d and 2.16 mol H₂/mol hexose respectively were achieved at pH 4.5, HRT 30 h, and OLR 11.0 kg/m³ d. Two relationships involving the propionic acid/acetic acid ratio and ethanol/acetic acid ratio were derived from the analysis of the metabolites of fermentation. Ethanol/acetic acid ratio of 1.25 was found to be a threshold value for higher hydrogen production.     

Activity and identity of fermenting microorganisms in full-scale biological nutrient removing wastewater treatment plants

Hydrolysis and fermentation are of key importance in biological nutrient removal (BNR) wastewater treatment plants as they provide polyphosphate-accumulating organisms and denitrifying bacteria with carbon and energy sources (e.g. short chain fatty acids). Little information, however, exists about the microbiology of the microorganisms involved in hydrolysis and fermentation. In this study, fermentation of monosaccharides was found to be a universal process taking place in all full-scale BNR plants investigated, where glucose and other monosaccharides were consumed and fermented during anaerobic conditions. The removal rates of glucose were in the range of 0.05–0.32 mmol gVSS⁻¹ h⁻¹ and only slightly lower than glucose removal under aerobic conditions. The main fermentation products detected were (in descending order) propionic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid and formic acid. The fermentation was diverse, consisting of at least three fermentation metabolisms, including lactic acid (homolactic), mixed acid and propionic acid fermentations. Possible existence of alcohol and/or butyric acid fermentations could not be excluded. Fermentation organisms in Aalborg East treatment plant were identified by using microautoradiography combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization. All microorganisms involved in monosaccharide fermentation belonged to either Gram-positive Firmicutes or Actinobacteria . Most of them were related either to Streptococcus , hybridizing to the oligonucleotide probe Str, or to uncultured Actinobacteria with a phenotype of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms. The fermenting bacteria were widespread in the nine full-scale BNR plants investigated and constituted 3–21% of the total bacterial biovolume.     

The performance and microbial communities of biodegradation-electron transfer with sulfur metabolism integrated process for flue gas desulfurization wastewater treatment

The biodegradation-electron transfer with sulfur metabolism integrated (BESI®) process was used for the treatment of real flue gas desulfurization wastewater. The BESI® process consists of an anaerobic activated sludge reactor, an anoxic activated sludge reactor, and an aerobic bio-film reactor. The performance of the integrated process was evaluated by the removal efficiencies of organics and nitrogen pollutants. The sulfate in the wastewater was used as an abundant sulfur source to drive the integrated process. The removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen of the integrated process were 87.99, 87.04, 30.77, and 45.17%, respectively. High-throughput 454-pyrosequencing was applied for the analysis of microbial communities in the integrated process. From the anaerobic activated sludge (Sample 1), anoxic activated sludge (Sample 2), and aerobic bio-film (Sample 3), totals of 1701, 1181, and 857 operational taxonomic units were obtained, respectively. The sulfur cycle was associated with the removal of organics and nitrogen pollutants. The sulfate-reducing bacteria participated in the organics removal in the anaerobic reactor, and the sulfide oxidation was related with the denitrification in the anoxic reactor. A complete nitrogen degradation chain was built in the integrated process. Through the degradation chain, the nitrogenous organic pollutants, ammonia nitrogen, and nitrate could be removed. The participant functional bacteria were also detected by pyrosequencing.     

Simultaneous nitrification,denitrification, and phosphorus removal in a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) via the nitrite pathway and anaerobic-anoxic-enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) are two processes that can significantly reduce the energy and COD demand for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The combination of these two processes has the potential of achieving simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal with a minimal requirement for COD. A lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated in alternating anaerobic-aerobic mode with a low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (0.5 mg/L) during the aerobic period, and was demonstrated to accomplish nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal. Under anaerobic conditions, COD was taken up and converted to polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), accompanied by phosphorus release. In the subsequent aerobic stage, PHA was oxidized and phosphorus was taken up to <0.5 mg/L by the end of the cycle. Ammonia was also oxidized during the aerobic period, but without accumulation of nitrite or nitrate in the system, indicating the occurrence of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. However, off-gas analysis showed that the final denitrification product was mainly nitrous oxide (N(2)O), not N(2). Further experimental results demonstrated that nitrogen removal was via nitrite, not nitrate. These experiments also showed that denitrifying glycogen-accumulating organisms (DGAOs), rather than denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (DPAOs), were responsible for the denitrification activity.     

Modeling of two-phase anaerobic process treating traditional Chinese medicine wastewater with the IWA Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1

The aim of the study was to implement a mathematical model to simulate two-phase anaerobic digestion (TPAD) process which consisted of an anaerobic continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor in series treating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) wastewater. A model was built on the basis of Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) while considering complete mixing model for the CSTR, and axial direction discrete model and mixed series connection model for the UASB. The mathematical model was implemented with the simulation software package MATLABTM/Simulinks. System performance, in terms of COD removal, volatile fatty acids (VFA) accumulation and pH fluctuation, was simulated and compared with the measured values. The simulation results indicated that the model built was able to well predict the COD removal rate (−4.8–5.0%) and pH variation (−2.9–1.4%) of the UASB reactor, while failed to simulate the CSTR performance. Comparing to the measured results, the simulated acetic acid concentration of the CSTR effluent was underpredicted with a deviation ratios of 13.8–23.2%, resulting in an underprediction of total VFA and COD concentrations despite good estimation of propionic acid, butyric acid and valeric acid. It is presumed that ethanol present in the raw wastewater was converted into acetic acid during the acidification process, which was not considered by the model. Additionally, due to the underprediction of acetic acid the pH of CSTR effluent was overestimated.     

Simultaneous nitrogen and carbon removal in a packed A/O reactor: effect of C/N ratio on microbial community structure

In this research, a novel packed anoxic/oxic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was established to achieve high-organic matter removal rates, despite the carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 2.7–5.1 in the influent. Simultaneous nitrification–denitrification (SND) was investigated under a long sludge retention time of 104 days. The system exhibited excellent performance in pollutant removal, with chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen (TN) enhanced to 93.6–97.4% and 34.4–60%, respectively. Under low C/N conditions, the nitrogen removal process of A/O MBBR system was mainly achieved by anaerobic denitrification. The increase of C/N ratio enhanced SND rate of the aerobic section, where dissolved oxygen was maintained at the range of 4–6 mg/L, and resulted in higher TN removal efficiency. The microbial composition and structures were analyzed utilizing the MiSeq Illumina sequencing technique. High-throughput pyrosequencing results indicated that the dominant microorganisms were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes at the phylum level, which contributes to the removal of organics matters. In the aerobic section, abundances of Nitrospirae (1.12–29.33%), Burkholderiales (2.15–21.38%), and Sphingobacteriales (2.92–11.67%) rose with increasing C/N ratio in the influent, this proved that SND did occur in the aerobic zone. As the C/N ratio of influent increased, the SND phenomenon in the aerobic zone of the system is the main mechanism for greatly improving the removal rate of TN in the aerobic section. The C/N ratio in the aerobic zone is not required to be high to exhibit good TN removal performance. When C/NH₄⁺ and C/TN in the aerobic zone were higher than 2.29 and 1.77, respectively, TN removal efficiency was higher than 60%, which means that carbon sources added to the reactor could be saved. This study would be vital for a better understanding of microbial structures within a packed A/O MBBR and the development of cost-efficient strategies for the treatment of low C/N wastewater.

     

Microbial nitrogen removal of ammonia wastewater in poly (butylenes succinate)-based constructed wetland: effect of dissolved oxygen

Constructed wetland (CW) is popular in wastewater treatment for its prominent advantage of low construction and operation cost. However, the nitrogen removal in conventional CW is usually limited by the low dissolved oxygen (DO) and insufficient electron donor. This paper investigated the nitrogen removal performance and mechanisms in the poly (butylenes succinate)-based CW (PBS-CW) while treating ammonia wastewater under different DO levels. The average DO contents in limited-aeration and full-aeration phases were 1.68 mg L⁻¹ and 5.71 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Results indicated that, with the ammonia nitrogen loading rate of 25 g N m⁻³ day⁻¹, total nitrogen removal ratios in the PBS-CW under the limited-aeration and full-aeration phases were 72% and 99%, respectively. Combined analyses revealed that simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) via nitrite/nitrate were the main microbial nitrogen removal pathways in the aeration phase of the PBS-CW (> 89%). The microbial carrier of biodegradable material was believed to play a significant role in prompting SND performance while dealing with low C/N wastewater. Due to the coexistence of micro-anaerobic zone and carbon supply inside the coated biofilm, the high DO level in the PBS-CW increased the abundance of the nitrifying bacteria (amoA and nxrA), denitrifying bacteria (narG, nirK, nirS, and nosZ), and even anammox bacteria (anammox 16s rRNA). These features are beneficial to many microbial processes which require the simultaneous aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic environment.

     

Effect of iron media on the treatment of domestic wastewater to enhance nutrient removal efficiency

The purpose of this study was the development of an alternative coagulant supply device intended to replace the conventional chemical dosing system used for phosphorus removal. Bench-scale, multi-stage, upflow anaerobic fixed bed reactors (UAFBRs) were packed with iron nuts and domestic wastewater was fed continuously to enhance microbially influenced corrosion under anaerobic conditions. Total iron concentration in the effluent varied between 7.8 and 13.0 mg/l over the 120-day testing period ensuring sustained corrosion of iron in the reactors. A hybrid process consisting of the UAFBRs and an anoxic/oxic (A/O) process was tested to investigate the removal efficiencies of organic substances, nitrogen and phosphorus from domestic wastewater. Two types of systems were operated in parallel with different return sludge ratios. One was the hybrid process and the other was the A/O process. In comparing the hybrid process with the A/O process with respect to phosphorus removal efficiency, the performance of the hybrid process was much better than that of the A/O process alone, since phosphate ions in wastewater combined with iron cations from UAFBR. Nitrogen removal efficiency of the hybrid process was lower than that of the A/O process because the chemical oxygen demand/total Kjeldal nitrogen ratio of influent to the anoxic and aeration tank was decreased as organics in the domestic wastewater were removed by the UAFBR.