Pressurized aeration (PA) technology is based on the conventional
activated sludge processes. Pressurized air can enhance pollutant
removal by microorganisms. Through PA technology, the
dissolved oxygen concentration in wastewater can be enhanced
by increasing the total air pressure and thus increasing the oxygen
transfer rate and the biochemical reaction rate [1–3]. Enhancement
of the microbial growth and activity through pressured aeration
was used to induce high microorganism density [4]. PA technology
was successfully applied in the treatment of wastewater from
chemical and food industries [5]. When Ho and Tan [6] used PA
technology to treat palm oil mill effluent, a high removal efficiency
resulted from the high oxygen transfer rate at high pressures in the
reactor. Lin and Huang [7] observed that COD removal increased
with increased pressure in a PA bioreactor treating wastewater
from a large food processing company.