Abstract

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process is a promising biotechnology which has been successfully applied in the nitrogen removal from wastewaters. Anammox granular sludge (AnGS) plays a key role in the high-rate anammox processes due to its high nitrogen removal rate and excellent settling ability. AnGS is a complex microbial aggregate and could show the unique vision like the color, size and shape. The structure of microbial aggregate, which was composed of microbial community, extracellular polymeric substance and gas/water voids, is the link between function and morphology. By correlating the morphological characteristics with the function of AnGS or bioreactor, a visible indicator could be developed to guide the optimization and control of anammox process. Also, the influence of heavy metals (Fe2+, Cu2+, Zn2+) on the activity and morphology of AnGS was reviewed.

Keywords: Anammox; Granular sludge; Morphology; Reactivity; Settleability; Heavy metals