Aerobic Granular Sludge Reactor Design and Piloting

Granular sludge applications provide a biological process in which slow-growing populations (nitrifiers, polyphosphate-accumulating organisms, and anaerobic ammonia oxidizers) can be preserved within a fast-settling particle without ballast addition. Granules can be defined as discrete particles that do not need bio-flocculation to settle. The dense nature of granules results in excellent settling characteristics, thus smaller reactor volumes, or the potential to intensify existing treatment processes. The formation of aerobic granular sludge in low-strength municipal wastewater is being tested at the University of Kansas and the City of Lawrence Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Dr. Sturm is currently leading the WERF U1R14 project “Balancing Flocs and Granules for Activated Sludge Process Intensification in Plug Flow Configurations.” The project includes 7 full-scale wastewater treatment plants in three continents, each with a partnering engineering consulting firm.

Research Team

Dr. Belinda Sturm

Principal Investigator

Andrew Finley Undergraduate Researcher

Funding