Upgrading of Aerobic Sequencing Batch Reactor System with Adding Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron for Wastewater Treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nano-scale zero-valent iron (nZVI) on the performance of aerobic sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) in terms of COD, phosphate removal and microbial species growth. Two lab scale SBRs were operated simultaneously for sixty days with and without adding nZVI. The reactors were fed with synthetic wastewater and acclimated with seed sludge which was taken from a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant in Istanbul. As a result, next generation sequencing technology analysis confirmed that the addition of nZVI in R2 promoted some bacterial types such as Xanthomonadales and inhibited others such as Clostridiales, confirming that the effect of nZVI on the bacterial growth was genera dependent. In addition, the phosphate and COD were completely removed at the end of the study and slightly enhanced with 15 % after the addition of nZVI in R2.