Experiments were conducted to study the performance characters of aerobic/anoxic (A/ A) digestion of sludge at 30± 1 ℃, while the sludge retention time (SRT) was kept 16 d. The varia tions of oxidation redu...Experiments were conducted to study the performance characters of aerobic/anoxic (A/ A) digestion of sludge at 30± 1 ℃, while the sludge retention time (SRT) was kept 16 d. The varia tions of oxidation reduction potential (Eh ) and pH were continuously monitored during the A/A di gestion and the conversions of ammonium and nitrate were investigated. Important features on both Eh and pH profiles were identified to develop process control strategy. Since the feature point on Eh profile where d2 Eh/dt^2 =0 is very stable during anoxic cycle, it can be used to determine the end of denitrification. The end of nitrification can be identified according to dpH/dt = 0. A real-time control strategy of A/A digestion of sludge was developed and tested with pH and Eh as control parameters. It is shown that the performance of the real-time control strategy is better than that of a fixed time control strategy. While the real time controlled A/A digestion system can achieve a similar volatile suspended solids (VSS) destruction efficiency of 35.2 % as a continuously aerated system, it im proves the supernatant quality in a shorter aeration time(7. 75 d for a 20 d period).展开更多
Alkaline and ultrasonic sludge disintegration can be used as the pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) to promote the subsequent anaerobic or aerobic digestion. In this study, different combinations of these ...Alkaline and ultrasonic sludge disintegration can be used as the pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) to promote the subsequent anaerobic or aerobic digestion. In this study, different combinations of these two methods were investigated. The evaluation was based on the quantity of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) in the pretreated sludge as well as the degradation of organic matter in the subsequent aerobic digestion. For WAS samples with combined pretreatment, the released COD levels were higher than those with ultrasonic or alkaline pretreatment alone. When combined with the ultrasonic treatment, NaOH treatment was more efficient than Ca(OH)2 for WAS solubilization. The COD levels released in various sequential options of combined NaOH and ultrasonic treatments were in the the following descending order: simultaneous treatment 〉 NaOH treatment followed by ultrasonic treatment 〉 ultrasonic treatment followed by NaOH treatment. For simultaneous treatment, low NaOH dosage (100 g/kg dry solid), short duration (30 min) of NaOH treatment, and low ultrasonic specific energy (7500 kJ/kg dry solid) were suitable for sludge disintegration. Using combined NaOH and ultrasonic pretreatment with optimal parameters, the degradation efficiency of organic matter was increased from 38.0% to 50.7%, which is much higher than that with ultrasonic (42.5%) or with NaOH pretreatment (43.5%) in the subsequent aerobic digestion at the same retention time.展开更多
A two-stage process has been developed for stabilization of sludge and removal of heavy metals from the secondary activated sludge with high rate of energy and time conservation. The first stage of the process involve...A two-stage process has been developed for stabilization of sludge and removal of heavy metals from the secondary activated sludge with high rate of energy and time conservation. The first stage of the process involves autoheated thermophilic aerobic digestion at 55-60℃ inoculated with less-acidophilic thermophilic sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms (ATAD). The results show that it is possible to maintain the autoheated conditions (55-60℃) in the ATAD reactor up to 24 hr, leading to reduction of 21% total solids (TS), 27% volatile solids (VS), 27% suspended solids (SS) and 33% volatile suspended solids (VSS) from the sludge. The sludge pH also decreased from 7 to 4.6 due to the activity of less-acidophilic thermophilic microorganisms. In the second stage operation, the digested sludge (pH 4.6, TS 31.6 g/L) from stage one was subjected to bioleaching in a continuous stirred tank reactor, operated at mean hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 12, 24 and 36 hr at 30℃. An HRT of 24 hr was found to be sufficient for removal of 70% Cu, 70% Mn, 75% Ni, and 80% Zn from the sludge. In all, 39% VSS, 76% Cu, 78.2% Mn, 79.5% Ni and 84.2% Zn were removed from the sludge in both the stages.展开更多
In order to enhance the efficiency of aerobic digestion, the excess sludge was irradiated by low intensity ultrasound at a frequency of 28 kHz and acoustic intensity of 0.53 W/cm^2. The results show that the sludge st...In order to enhance the efficiency of aerobic digestion, the excess sludge was irradiated by low intensity ultrasound at a frequency of 28 kHz and acoustic intensity of 0.53 W/cm^2. The results show that the sludge stabilization without ultrasonic treatment can be achieved after 17 d of digestion, whereas the digestion time of ultrasonic groups can be cut by 3-7 d. During the same digestion elapsing, in ultrasonic groups the total volatile suspended solid removal rate is higher than that in the control group. The kinetics of aerobic digestion of excess sludge with ultrasound can also be described with first-order reaction.展开更多
Biodegradation parameters and kinetic characteristics for pre-treating waste strains of Klebsiella pneu-moniae were studied in laboratory scale with an insulated reactor by an innovative technique,autothermal thermo-p...Biodegradation parameters and kinetic characteristics for pre-treating waste strains of Klebsiella pneu-moniae were studied in laboratory scale with an insulated reactor by an innovative technique,autothermal thermo-philic aerobic digestion(ATAD) . Based on an Arrhenius-type equation,an empirical model was developed to corre-late the removal of total suspended solid(TSS) with the initial TSS concentration,influent reaction temperature,aeration rate and stirring rate. The reaction temperatures of the ATAD system could be raised from the ambient temperatures of 25 °C to a maximum temperature of 65 °C. The exponentials for the initial TSS concentration,aeration rate and stirring rate were 1.579,-0.8175 and-0.6549,respectively,and the apparent activation energy was 6.8774 kJ·mol-1. The correlation coefficient for the pre-exponential factor was 0.9223. The TSS removal effi-ciency predicted by the model was validated with an actual test,showing a maximum relative deviation of 10.79%. The new model has a good practicability.展开更多
Kinetics models of COD degradation,biomass growth of the anoxic-oxic ( A/O) system as well as NH3-N degradation in aerobic phase were presented according to the mass balance theory,reaction-diffusion theory and Fick l...Kinetics models of COD degradation,biomass growth of the anoxic-oxic ( A/O) system as well as NH3-N degradation in aerobic phase were presented according to the mass balance theory,reaction-diffusion theory and Fick law. Then these models were testified by comparson with experimental results. It is demonstrated that the variation trends of theoretical and experimental values for COD degradation and biomass growth are similar. The deviation rate between theoretical and experimental values is always under 20% even it increases along with the fluctuation of influent organic loading. In terms of NH3-N degradation,nitrification can also be well simulated by the model as the substrates of influent are sufficient. It indicates that the model can accurately reflect the reaction in hybrid A/O process. Models presented herein provide a theoretical basis for the design, operation and control of hybrid A/O process.展开更多
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid on the fermentation quality, aer- obic stability and in vitro gas production kinetics and digestibility of whole-crop corn bas...This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid on the fermentation quality, aer- obic stability and in vitro gas production kinetics and digestibility of whole-crop corn based totalmixed ration (TMR) silage. Total mixed ration was ensiled with four treatments: (1) no additives (control); (2) an inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum) (L); (3) propionicacid (P); (4) propionic acid+lactic acid bacteria (PL). All treatments were ensiled in laboratory-scale silos for 45 days, and then subjected to an aerobic stability test for12 days. Further, four TMR silages were incubated in vitro with buffered rumen fluid to study in vitro gas production kinetics and digestibility. The results indicated that all TMR silages had good fermentation characteristics with low pH (〈3.80) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) contents, and high lactic acid contents as well as Flieg points. Addition of L further improved TMR silage quality with more lactic acid production. Addition of P and PL decreased lactic acid and NH3-N contents of TMR silage compared to the control (P〈0.05). After 12 days aerobic exposure, P and PL silages remained stable, but L and the control silages deteriorated as indicated by a reduction in lactic acid and an increase in pH, and numbers of yeast. Compared to the control, addition of L had no effects on TMR silage in terms of 72 h cumulative gas production, in vitro dry matter digestibility, metabolizable energy, net energy for lactation and short chain fatty acids, whereas addition of PL significantly (P〈0.05) increased them. L silage had higher (P〈0.05) in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility than the control silage. The results of our study suggested that TMR silage prepared with whole-crop corn can be well preserved with or without additives. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggested that propionic acid is compatible with lactic acid bacteria inoculants, and when used together, although they reduced lactic acid production of TMR silage, they improved aerobic stability and in vitro nutrients digestibility of TMR silage.展开更多
A bench-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic process-biological aerated filter (A^2/O-BAF) combined system was carded out to treat wastewater with lower C/N and C/P ratios. The A^2/O process was operated in a short aerobi...A bench-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic process-biological aerated filter (A^2/O-BAF) combined system was carded out to treat wastewater with lower C/N and C/P ratios. The A^2/O process was operated in a short aerobic sludge retention time (SRT) for organic pollutants and phosphorus removal, and denitrification. The subsequent BAF process was mainly used for nitrification. The BAF effluent was partially returned to anoxic zone of the A^2/O process to provide electron acceptors for denitrification and anoxic P uptake. This unique system formed an environment for reproducing the denitdfying phosphate-accumulating organisms (DPAOs). The ratio of DPAOs to phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) could be maintained at 28% by optimizing the organic loads in the anaerobic zone and the nitrate loads into the anoxic zone in the A^2/O process. The aerobic phosphorus over-uptake and discharge of excess activated sludge was the main mechanism of phosphorus removal in the combined system. The aerobic SRT of the A^2/O process should meet the demands for the development of aerobic PAOs and the restraint on the nitrifiers growth, and the contact time in the aerobic zone of the A^2/O process should be longer than 30 min, which ensured efficient phosphorus removal in the combined system. The adequate BAF effluent return rates should be controlled with 1--4 mg/L nitrate nitrogen in the anoxic zone effluent of A^2/O process to achieve the optimal nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies.展开更多
To achieve advanced nitrogen removal from actual municipal sewage,a novel multistage anoxic/aerobic process with sludge regeneration zone(R-MAO)was developed.The reactor was used to treat actual domestic sewage and th...To achieve advanced nitrogen removal from actual municipal sewage,a novel multistage anoxic/aerobic process with sludge regeneration zone(R-MAO)was developed.The reactor was used to treat actual domestic sewage and the nitrogen removal capacity of the sludge regeneration zone(R zone)was investigated during the long-term operation.The best performance was obtained at the R zone’s Oxidation-Reduction Potential(ORP)of-50±30 mV and hydraulic residence times(HRT)of 1.2 hr.The average effluent COD,TN,NH_(4)^(+)-N and NO_(3)^(−)-N of the R-MAO process were 18.0±2.3,7.5±0.6,1.0±0.5 and 4.6±0.4 mg/L,respectively,with the corresponding removal efficiency of COD,TN and NH_(4)^(+)-N were 92.9%±1.0%,84.1%±1.5% and 97.5%±1.1%.Compared to the sole MAO system,the TN removal efficiency of the R-MAO increased by 10.1%.Besides,under the optimal conditions,the contribution of the R zone in the R-MAO that removal COD,TN,NH_(4)^(+)-N and NO_(3)^(−)-N were 0.36,0.15,0.032 and 0.82 g/day.High-throughput sequencing results showed that uncultured_bacterium_f_Burkholderiaceae(5.20%),OLB8(1.04%)and Ottowia(1.03%)played an important role in denitrification in the R zone.This study provided effective guidance for the design and operation of the R-MAO process in domestic sewage treatment.展开更多
The retention of dense and well-functioning microbial biomass is crucial for effective pollutant removal in several biological wastewater treatment technologies.High solids retention is often achieved through aggregat...The retention of dense and well-functioning microbial biomass is crucial for effective pollutant removal in several biological wastewater treatment technologies.High solids retention is often achieved through aggregation of microbial communities into dense,spherical aggregates known as granules,which were initially discovered in the 1980s.These granules have since been widely applied in upflow anaerobic digesters for waste-to-energy conversions.Furthermore,granular biomass has been applied in aerobic wastewater treatment and anaerobic ammonium oxidation(anammox)technologies.The mechanisms underpinning the formation of methanogenic,aerobic,and anammox granules are the subject of ongoing research.Although each granule type has been extensively studied in isolation,there has been a lack of comparative studies among these granulation processes.It is likely that there are some unifying concepts that are shared by all three sludge types.Identifying these unifying concepts could allow a unified theory of granulation to be formed.Here,we review the granulation mechanisms of methanogenic,aerobic,and anammox granular sludge,highlighting several common concepts,such as the role of extracellular polymeric substances,cations,and operational parameters like upflow velocity and shear force.We have then identified some unique features of each granule type,such as different internal structures,microbial compositions,and quorum sensing systems.Finally,we propose that future research should prioritize aspects of microbial ecology,such as community assembly or interspecies interactions in individual granules during their formation and growth.展开更多
基金Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China("863"Program)(2006AA06Z319)the National Key Technology R&D Programof the 11th Five-Year Plan China(2007BAK36B07)the Research Foundation for Youth Scholars of Beijing Technology and Business University(QNJJ-28)
文摘Experiments were conducted to study the performance characters of aerobic/anoxic (A/ A) digestion of sludge at 30± 1 ℃, while the sludge retention time (SRT) was kept 16 d. The varia tions of oxidation reduction potential (Eh ) and pH were continuously monitored during the A/A di gestion and the conversions of ammonium and nitrate were investigated. Important features on both Eh and pH profiles were identified to develop process control strategy. Since the feature point on Eh profile where d2 Eh/dt^2 =0 is very stable during anoxic cycle, it can be used to determine the end of denitrification. The end of nitrification can be identified according to dpH/dt = 0. A real-time control strategy of A/A digestion of sludge was developed and tested with pH and Eh as control parameters. It is shown that the performance of the real-time control strategy is better than that of a fixed time control strategy. While the real time controlled A/A digestion system can achieve a similar volatile suspended solids (VSS) destruction efficiency of 35.2 % as a continuously aerated system, it im proves the supernatant quality in a shorter aeration time(7. 75 d for a 20 d period).
基金supported by the China NationalEleventh Five-Year Scientific and Technical Support Plan(No. 2006BAC02A18)
文摘Alkaline and ultrasonic sludge disintegration can be used as the pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) to promote the subsequent anaerobic or aerobic digestion. In this study, different combinations of these two methods were investigated. The evaluation was based on the quantity of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) in the pretreated sludge as well as the degradation of organic matter in the subsequent aerobic digestion. For WAS samples with combined pretreatment, the released COD levels were higher than those with ultrasonic or alkaline pretreatment alone. When combined with the ultrasonic treatment, NaOH treatment was more efficient than Ca(OH)2 for WAS solubilization. The COD levels released in various sequential options of combined NaOH and ultrasonic treatments were in the the following descending order: simultaneous treatment 〉 NaOH treatment followed by ultrasonic treatment 〉 ultrasonic treatment followed by NaOH treatment. For simultaneous treatment, low NaOH dosage (100 g/kg dry solid), short duration (30 min) of NaOH treatment, and low ultrasonic specific energy (7500 kJ/kg dry solid) were suitable for sludge disintegration. Using combined NaOH and ultrasonic pretreatment with optimal parameters, the degradation efficiency of organic matter was increased from 38.0% to 50.7%, which is much higher than that with ultrasonic (42.5%) or with NaOH pretreatment (43.5%) in the subsequent aerobic digestion at the same retention time.
文摘A two-stage process has been developed for stabilization of sludge and removal of heavy metals from the secondary activated sludge with high rate of energy and time conservation. The first stage of the process involves autoheated thermophilic aerobic digestion at 55-60℃ inoculated with less-acidophilic thermophilic sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms (ATAD). The results show that it is possible to maintain the autoheated conditions (55-60℃) in the ATAD reactor up to 24 hr, leading to reduction of 21% total solids (TS), 27% volatile solids (VS), 27% suspended solids (SS) and 33% volatile suspended solids (VSS) from the sludge. The sludge pH also decreased from 7 to 4.6 due to the activity of less-acidophilic thermophilic microorganisms. In the second stage operation, the digested sludge (pH 4.6, TS 31.6 g/L) from stage one was subjected to bioleaching in a continuous stirred tank reactor, operated at mean hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 12, 24 and 36 hr at 30℃. An HRT of 24 hr was found to be sufficient for removal of 70% Cu, 70% Mn, 75% Ni, and 80% Zn from the sludge. In all, 39% VSS, 76% Cu, 78.2% Mn, 79.5% Ni and 84.2% Zn were removed from the sludge in both the stages.
文摘In order to enhance the efficiency of aerobic digestion, the excess sludge was irradiated by low intensity ultrasound at a frequency of 28 kHz and acoustic intensity of 0.53 W/cm^2. The results show that the sludge stabilization without ultrasonic treatment can be achieved after 17 d of digestion, whereas the digestion time of ultrasonic groups can be cut by 3-7 d. During the same digestion elapsing, in ultrasonic groups the total volatile suspended solid removal rate is higher than that in the control group. The kinetics of aerobic digestion of excess sludge with ultrasound can also be described with first-order reaction.
基金Supported by the Doctoral Foundation of Northeast Dianli University (BSJXM-200814)Foundations of Bureau of Jilin Province (2008424)
文摘Biodegradation parameters and kinetic characteristics for pre-treating waste strains of Klebsiella pneu-moniae were studied in laboratory scale with an insulated reactor by an innovative technique,autothermal thermo-philic aerobic digestion(ATAD) . Based on an Arrhenius-type equation,an empirical model was developed to corre-late the removal of total suspended solid(TSS) with the initial TSS concentration,influent reaction temperature,aeration rate and stirring rate. The reaction temperatures of the ATAD system could be raised from the ambient temperatures of 25 °C to a maximum temperature of 65 °C. The exponentials for the initial TSS concentration,aeration rate and stirring rate were 1.579,-0.8175 and-0.6549,respectively,and the apparent activation energy was 6.8774 kJ·mol-1. The correlation coefficient for the pre-exponential factor was 0.9223. The TSS removal effi-ciency predicted by the model was validated with an actual test,showing a maximum relative deviation of 10.79%. The new model has a good practicability.
基金Sponsored by the National Water Plan (2008ZX07207-005-03)
文摘Kinetics models of COD degradation,biomass growth of the anoxic-oxic ( A/O) system as well as NH3-N degradation in aerobic phase were presented according to the mass balance theory,reaction-diffusion theory and Fick law. Then these models were testified by comparson with experimental results. It is demonstrated that the variation trends of theoretical and experimental values for COD degradation and biomass growth are similar. The deviation rate between theoretical and experimental values is always under 20% even it increases along with the fluctuation of influent organic loading. In terms of NH3-N degradation,nitrification can also be well simulated by the model as the substrates of influent are sufficient. It indicates that the model can accurately reflect the reaction in hybrid A/O process. Models presented herein provide a theoretical basis for the design, operation and control of hybrid A/O process.
基金supported by the project of Jiangsu Independent Innovation,China(CX(15)1003-3)the Key Technologies R&D Program of China during the 13th Five-Year Plan period(2016YFC0502005)the Special Project of Grass of Tibet Autonomous Region for the 13th Five-Year Plan,China
文摘This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid on the fermentation quality, aer- obic stability and in vitro gas production kinetics and digestibility of whole-crop corn based totalmixed ration (TMR) silage. Total mixed ration was ensiled with four treatments: (1) no additives (control); (2) an inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum) (L); (3) propionicacid (P); (4) propionic acid+lactic acid bacteria (PL). All treatments were ensiled in laboratory-scale silos for 45 days, and then subjected to an aerobic stability test for12 days. Further, four TMR silages were incubated in vitro with buffered rumen fluid to study in vitro gas production kinetics and digestibility. The results indicated that all TMR silages had good fermentation characteristics with low pH (〈3.80) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) contents, and high lactic acid contents as well as Flieg points. Addition of L further improved TMR silage quality with more lactic acid production. Addition of P and PL decreased lactic acid and NH3-N contents of TMR silage compared to the control (P〈0.05). After 12 days aerobic exposure, P and PL silages remained stable, but L and the control silages deteriorated as indicated by a reduction in lactic acid and an increase in pH, and numbers of yeast. Compared to the control, addition of L had no effects on TMR silage in terms of 72 h cumulative gas production, in vitro dry matter digestibility, metabolizable energy, net energy for lactation and short chain fatty acids, whereas addition of PL significantly (P〈0.05) increased them. L silage had higher (P〈0.05) in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility than the control silage. The results of our study suggested that TMR silage prepared with whole-crop corn can be well preserved with or without additives. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggested that propionic acid is compatible with lactic acid bacteria inoculants, and when used together, although they reduced lactic acid production of TMR silage, they improved aerobic stability and in vitro nutrients digestibility of TMR silage.
文摘A bench-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic process-biological aerated filter (A^2/O-BAF) combined system was carded out to treat wastewater with lower C/N and C/P ratios. The A^2/O process was operated in a short aerobic sludge retention time (SRT) for organic pollutants and phosphorus removal, and denitrification. The subsequent BAF process was mainly used for nitrification. The BAF effluent was partially returned to anoxic zone of the A^2/O process to provide electron acceptors for denitrification and anoxic P uptake. This unique system formed an environment for reproducing the denitdfying phosphate-accumulating organisms (DPAOs). The ratio of DPAOs to phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) could be maintained at 28% by optimizing the organic loads in the anaerobic zone and the nitrate loads into the anoxic zone in the A^2/O process. The aerobic phosphorus over-uptake and discharge of excess activated sludge was the main mechanism of phosphorus removal in the combined system. The aerobic SRT of the A^2/O process should meet the demands for the development of aerobic PAOs and the restraint on the nitrifiers growth, and the contact time in the aerobic zone of the A^2/O process should be longer than 30 min, which ensured efficient phosphorus removal in the combined system. The adequate BAF effluent return rates should be controlled with 1--4 mg/L nitrate nitrogen in the anoxic zone effluent of A^2/O process to achieve the optimal nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies.
基金supported by a project of Shenzhen Science and Technology Plan (No. KCXFZ202002011006362)Project of Central and Southern China Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute Co.,Ltd. (Technology Development 2019)
文摘To achieve advanced nitrogen removal from actual municipal sewage,a novel multistage anoxic/aerobic process with sludge regeneration zone(R-MAO)was developed.The reactor was used to treat actual domestic sewage and the nitrogen removal capacity of the sludge regeneration zone(R zone)was investigated during the long-term operation.The best performance was obtained at the R zone’s Oxidation-Reduction Potential(ORP)of-50±30 mV and hydraulic residence times(HRT)of 1.2 hr.The average effluent COD,TN,NH_(4)^(+)-N and NO_(3)^(−)-N of the R-MAO process were 18.0±2.3,7.5±0.6,1.0±0.5 and 4.6±0.4 mg/L,respectively,with the corresponding removal efficiency of COD,TN and NH_(4)^(+)-N were 92.9%±1.0%,84.1%±1.5% and 97.5%±1.1%.Compared to the sole MAO system,the TN removal efficiency of the R-MAO increased by 10.1%.Besides,under the optimal conditions,the contribution of the R zone in the R-MAO that removal COD,TN,NH_(4)^(+)-N and NO_(3)^(−)-N were 0.36,0.15,0.032 and 0.82 g/day.High-throughput sequencing results showed that uncultured_bacterium_f_Burkholderiaceae(5.20%),OLB8(1.04%)and Ottowia(1.03%)played an important role in denitrification in the R zone.This study provided effective guidance for the design and operation of the R-MAO process in domestic sewage treatment.
基金GC,MP and SM were supported by a European Research Council Starting Grant awarded to GC(3C-BIOTECH 261330)by a Science Foundation Ireland Career Development Award(17/CDA/4658)to GC+1 种基金VOF is supported by the Enterprise Ireland Technology Centres Programme(TC/2014/0016)Science Foundation Ireland(14/IA/2371 and 16/RC/3889).
文摘The retention of dense and well-functioning microbial biomass is crucial for effective pollutant removal in several biological wastewater treatment technologies.High solids retention is often achieved through aggregation of microbial communities into dense,spherical aggregates known as granules,which were initially discovered in the 1980s.These granules have since been widely applied in upflow anaerobic digesters for waste-to-energy conversions.Furthermore,granular biomass has been applied in aerobic wastewater treatment and anaerobic ammonium oxidation(anammox)technologies.The mechanisms underpinning the formation of methanogenic,aerobic,and anammox granules are the subject of ongoing research.Although each granule type has been extensively studied in isolation,there has been a lack of comparative studies among these granulation processes.It is likely that there are some unifying concepts that are shared by all three sludge types.Identifying these unifying concepts could allow a unified theory of granulation to be formed.Here,we review the granulation mechanisms of methanogenic,aerobic,and anammox granular sludge,highlighting several common concepts,such as the role of extracellular polymeric substances,cations,and operational parameters like upflow velocity and shear force.We have then identified some unique features of each granule type,such as different internal structures,microbial compositions,and quorum sensing systems.Finally,we propose that future research should prioritize aspects of microbial ecology,such as community assembly or interspecies interactions in individual granules during their formation and growth.