Kinetical parameters evaluation for microalgae-bacteria granules used for wastewater treatment

Abstract

A preliminary stage in developing numerical simulations of a biological process for wastewater treatment consists in evaluating the kinetic parameters of the studied process. The study shows results obtained by experimental and numerical evaluation of mixed microalgae-bacteria granules kinetical parameters. The results showed that operational parameters modulated the main kinetic parameters of biological processes involved in removal of organic load and nutrients from wastewater such as biomass production coefficient, endogenous decomposition rate, specific peak rate of growth, semi saturation constant, specific rate of nitrification and the specific denitrification speed. These key parameters were determined over time to evaluate the performance of microbial populations in microalgae-bacteria granules in different operational conditions. Tests have been carried out for various wastewater compositions to determine the versatility and adaptability of the technology.