Response Surface Methodology Approach For Simultaneous Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Removal From Industrial Wastewater in A Sequencing Batch Reactor

Wastewater reclamation involving a sequencing batch reactor (sbr) has received more attention recently due to its high nutrient removal efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and low footprint. this study attempts to develop a stable and applicable activated sludge sbr for simultaneous carbon and nutrient removal from industrial wastewater. the derived-filed data were explored by response surface methodology (rsm) to identify the impact of operational variables on the sbr performance. optimum conditions were obtained at 4000 mg/l mlss, 100: 8: 2 cod: n: p ratio, 40 min/h aeration time, and 40 h cycling time, which resulted in the removal of 82.53% chemical oxygen demand (cod), 89.83% tkn, 87.23% po43- -p, and 73.46% no3- -n. moreover, the sludge volume index (svi) and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (mlvss)/mixed liquor suspended solids (mlss) ratio were 64.8 ml/g and 0.8, respectively. the maximum nitrification rate was calculated as 113.9 mg/l.d, which increased with the rise of the initial ammonium concentration. the specific denitrification rate (sdnr) was estimated in the range of 0.003-0.07 mgno3--n/mg mlvss.d, depicting the high potential of the sbr reactor to eliminate nitrate by granular sludge. accordingly, the removal efficiency of the optimized system revealed a notable capability towards meeting environmental regulations.