A direct comparison between different technologies (aerobic granular sludge, SBR and MBR) for the treatment of wastewater contaminated by 4-mono-chlorophenol

Direct comparisons amongst different wastewater treatment technologies can be very difficult, or even impossible, since the high amount of published data often lacks in terms of uniformity. In this study, aerobic granular sludge developed into a GSBR (Granulated Sequencing Batch Reactor) was used to completely oxidise 4-mono-chlorophenol under aerobic conditions, with readily biodegradable sodium acetate as primary substrate. The GSBR was operated in parallel with a conventional SBR (Sequencing Batch Reactor) and a MBR (Membrane BioReactor) in order to establish a clear, direct comparison in terms of removal efficiencies, specific degradation rates and system complexity. As expected, GSBR was proved to be a valid alternative solution for the degradation of toxic 4-mono-chlorophenol, with sodium acetate as primary substrate, thus justifying possible process scale-up.