Excessive phosphorus can cause eutrophication in water bodies and needs to be reduced
in most wastewaters before discharge to receiving waters. The enhanced biological phosphorus
removal (EBPR) process has been shown to be an economical and environmentally compatible
method for reducing phosphorus from wastewaters. The experiment has been performed in order
to investigate the effect of using effective microorganisms (EM) as an application of Enhanced Biological
Phosphorous Removal (EBPR) in modified contact stabilization activated sludge system by
using contact tank as a phosphorus uptake zone and using thickener tank as a phosphorus release
zone. The study involved the construction of a pilot plant which was setup in the Quhafa Wastewater
Treatment Plant (WWTP), Al Fayoum, Egypt. Then the uptake and release of total phosphorus
were determined through two batch tests using sludge samples from thickener and stabilization
tanks. Results showed the removal efficiencies of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological
Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and total phosphorus (TP) of this pilot plant were 93%, 93% and
90%, respectively. On the other hand the results of batch tests showed that the reason for high ability
of phosphorus removal by this pilot plant is related to the high performance of microorganisms
for phosphorus accumulation. Finally providing activated EM to the anaerobic zone was to
improve fermentation by achieving the enhancement of the performance of phosphorus accumulating
organisms (PAOs) and then increase phosphorous release resulting in the decrease of the average
effluent phosphorus concentration.
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