Aerobic Granular Biomass Technology: further innovation, system development and design optimisation

Aerobic granulation is seen as the future standard for industrial and municipal wastewater treatment and subsequently research efforts are quickly developing in this field. As an outcome of a Dutch research and development program, an aerobic granular biomass technology has been scaled-up and implemented to treat urban and industrial wastewater. This Nereda® technology is considered being the first aerobic granular sludge technology applied at full-scale and more than 20 municipal and industrial plants are in operation or under construction worldwide. Further plants are in the planning and design phase, including plants with capacities exceeding 1 million PE. Operating data confirm the projected advantages with regard to treatment performance, energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In addition, a new possibility for extracting alginate like polymers from aerobic granular sludge has emerged which could provide sustainable reuse opportunities.