Phosphorus reduction in batch culture using seed sludge of wastewater

• Published in: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
• Main Author: Yusuf M.; Kasmuri N.; Ahmad R.; Santiagoo R.; Ramasamy S.
• Format: Conference paper
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing Ltd 2021
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85102175960&doi=10.1088%2f1755-1315%2f646%2f1%2f012016&partnerID=40&md5=1b5b34ecfecd2a345304b6bdda7a553d

Phosphorus is a chemical substance and is a kind of nutrient that is essential for the growth of the organism. This key element tends to be growth-limiting-nutrient in lake ecosystems. The high concentration of phosphorus is toxic and can cause a major effect on the water body. Excessive nutrients may lead to eutrophication which will cause the depletion of oxygen. The anoxic waters would reduce the water quality of the surface water and disrupt the stability of the ecosystem. Thus, it is important to measure the phosphorus in a surface water system and to limit the amount of phosphorus going into the water body. Thus, this research aims to evaluate the phosphorus reduction using seed sludge taken from wastewater treatment in Kolej Mawar, UiTM, Shah Alam, Selangor. In the wastewater, biological phosphorus removal (BPR or Bio-P) or the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is the biological process where this substance is incorporated into cell biomass and subsequently removed from the process as a result of sludge wasting. Here, seed sludge from wastewater was used in a batch culture experiment using two different solutions of disodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HPO4) and di-potassium hydrogen phosphate (K2HPO4) in a synthetic medium. The phosphorus reduction and the percentage removal were observed in these two solutions in one-week incubation time. It can be observed that the percentage removal of phosphorus in Na2HPO4 solution was higher (88% and 96%) compared to K2HPO4 solutions (70% and 29%). From the results obtained, the phosphorus can significantly be reduced using the seed sludge from the wastewater in short incubation time within one week. Thus, a sustainable approach in green technology can be further investigated and enhanced to overcome the environmental problems in reducing the phosphorus effluent discharge into the surface water system. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.