Bioaugmentation for treating transient or continuous p-nitrophenol shock loads in an aerobic sequencing batch reactor

Bioaugmentation with an enriched microbial population was applied in an aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) receiving transient or continuous shock loads of p-nitrophenol (PNP). The effect of the amount of biomass added for bioaugmentation was assessed by using two different dosages (2% or 5% w/w of the total biomass in the seeded SBR). In both cases, total PNP removal was achieved during the transient PNP shock load occurring after bioaugmentation. However, after a long PNP starvation period the only experiment still showing total PNP removal during a second PNP shock load was the one where a dosage of 5% w/w was applied. The results suggested that the dosage is a key factor for the implementation of a successful bioaugmentation strategy. In addition, the performance of a bioaugmented SBR receiving a continuous PNP shock load was enhanced when compared to a non-bioaugmented SBR. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.