First application of the novel anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic (AOA) process for advanced nutrient removal in a wastewater treatment plant

The stringent effluent quality standards in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can effectively mitigate environmental issues such as eutrophication by reducing the discharge of nutrients into water environments. However, the current wastewater treatment process often struggles to achieve advanced nutrient removal while also saving energy and reducing carbon consumption. The first full-scale anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic (AOA) system was established with a wastewater treatment scale of 40,000 m3/d. Over one year of operation, the average TN and TP concentration in the effluent of 7.53 ± 0.81 and 0.37 ± 0.05 mg/L was achieved in low TN/COD (C/N) ratio (average 5) wastewater treatment. The post-anoxic zones fully utilized the internal carbon source stored in pre-anaerobic zones, removing 41.29 % of TN and 36.25 % of TP. Intracellular glycogen (Gly) and proteins in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) served as potential drivers for post-anoxic denitrification and phosphorus uptake. The sludge fermentation process was enhanced by the long anoxic hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the AOA system. The relative abundance of fermentative bacteria was 31.66 - 55.83 %, and their fermentation metabolites can provide additional substrates and energy for nutrient removal. The development and utilization of internal carbon sources in the AOA system benefited from reducing excess sludge production, energy conservation, and advanced nutrient removal under carbon-limited. The successful full-scale validation of the AOA process provided a potentially transformative technology with wide applicability to WWTPs.