Advancing aerobic granular sludge for sustainable wastewater treatment

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Currently, a paradigm shift is underway in which wastewater treatment is being viewed as an opportunity to**sustainably recover nutrients, bioenergy, and clean water, all while protecting human and environmental health.**Several wastewater treatment plants operated by the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District (Metro**Vancouver) are due for infrastructure upgrades in the coming decade. To meet sustainability objectives, Metro**Vancouver is seeking to implement new approaches to recover energy and nutrients from liquid wastewater as**part of their Integrated Liquid Waste and Resource Management Plan. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is an**emerging biological treatment technology that can significantly reduce land footprints of wastewater treatment**plants, and thus is a potential biotechnology to provide secondary treatment of Metro Vancouver's wastewater.**Yet, conventional AGS is an energy-consuming process, and can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. To**assist with Metro Vancouver's resource recovery goals, this project will examine a new application of AGS**technology that incorporates microalgae to reduce energy costs while also sequestering carbon dioxide and**nutrients. This research will provide new understanding on the potential of algal-based AGS for sustainable**treatment of Metro Vancouver's domestic wastewater by: (1) evaluating the optimal strategy to promote the**co-cultivation of microalgae within AGS; (2) identifying optimal bioreactor operating strategies to improve**biological nutrient removal by the algal-AGS system; and (3) estimating potential energy savings for**wastewater treatment from reduced aeration costs with the co-cultivation of microalgae into AGS. The**outcomes of this research will provide a basis to inform strategies for scaling-up the new algal-AGS process for**sustainable bioenergy and nutrient recovery at Metro Vancouver's future wastewater treatment plants.