Decoding the Improvement of Stability in Side Stream Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (S2EBPR) - Insights from Seven Publicly Owned Treatment Works
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Rapid urban and industrial growth has increased nutrient discharge into waterbodies, underscoring the need for sustainable and robust advanced biological nutrient removal (BNR) technologies. Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) and Side-stream Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (S2EBPR) present such alternatives by effectively managing both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Despite these alternatives, operational reliability can be undermined by factors such as microbial competition and carbon limitations. This study used Sumo models to investigate three EBPR and four S2EBPR facilities. The analysis focused on understanding microbial community dynamics under different seasonal conditions, examining the roles of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and glycogen (GLY) in influencing the stability of conventional EBPR and S2EBPR processes; and evaluating the impacts of denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (DPAOs) and denitrifying glycogen-accumulating organisms (DGAOs) on overall N and P removal. The findings revealed that S2EBPR configurations are characterized by enhanced PHA accumulation, better resilience to moderate and high temperature fluctuations, and more favorable ratios of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) to glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) compared to traditional EBPR systems. Furthermore, less than 20% of total NOx removal and PolyP uptake could be attributed to DPAOs and DGAOs, suggesting their relatively limited roles in denitrification and phosphorus removal. These insights could help operators establish the optimal conditions for targeted microbial growth, ultimately improving both phosphorus and nitrogen removal.