Effects of Cycle Time on Properties of Aerobic Granules in Sequencing Batch Airlift Reactors

Summary The granulation and properties of aerobic sludge were studied in two sequencing batch airlift reactors (SBARs). The synthetic wastewater in the two reactors had initially different levels of COD (400 mg l⁻¹ in R1 and 1600 mg l⁻¹ in R2). A hydraulic cycle time of 3 and 12 h was conducted in the reactors R1 and R2, respectively and the process of granulation was observed by optical microscopy. It was found that the course of granulation at a cycle time of 3 h in R1 was shorter than that at cycle time of 12 h in R2 and the properties of aerobic granules were distinct in the reactors due to the different hydraulic cycle time. Under a cycle time of 3 h, granule diameter was around 1.0–2.0 mm, VSS ratio was 92.08% with stronger granule strength; under a cycle time of 12 h, granule diameter was around 0.5–1.0 mm, VSS ratio was 83.92% with weaker granule strength. In addition, the morphology of microorganisms in granules was obviously dissimilar when the hydraulic cycle time was different. It was concluded that the hydraulic cycle time plays a crucial role in the granulation and properties of aerobic granules. It is expected that the experimental findings will provide useful information on factors affecting aerobic granulation.