ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates the long-term influence of a low nitrogen sludge loading rate (NSLR) on the Anammox process in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with granular Anammox biomass. The research focused on the dynamics of both the metabolic properties and the morphology of the Anammox granular sludge that was used as inoculum. The Anammox granular sludge was grown in an Anammox reactor treating sludge reject water. The imposed SBR conditions simulate expected field conditions in which low NSLR are expected after anaerobic pre-treatment. The integrity of the granular biomass is affected by the shear stress. The shear stress on granular biomass can be caused by hydraulic mixing or mechanical mixing, leading to granule erosion and breakage. The NSLR suffered variations and its impact on the granule integrity was not taken into consideration. The diminishing of the size of the granules might be caused by the NSLR applied and the mechanical mixing during the adaptation phase.
