The use of Archaea in the Bioaugmentation of Activated Sludge as a Method for the Biological Removal of Nitrogen Compounds

This paper examines the effect of Archaea on wastewater treatment in sequencing biological reactors (SBR). The research was carried out in two SBR reactors: a reactor with activated sludge bioaugmented with Archaea (microorganisms which constitute a third domain besides Bacteria and Eukaryotes); a reactor with conventional activated sludge was used as a control. Archaea were incubated in laboratory conditions as recommended by Archaea Solutions Inc. The research revealed that the time period required for the acclimation of the activated sludge in the presence of Archaea was twice as long as in the case of regular nitrifying activated sludge. The observed nitrogen and phosphorous removal from wastewater was achieved to a higher extent in sludge with Archaea and the sludge itself settled faster. The required concentration of oxygen in the reactor with Archaea was lower than in the classic set-up – this resulted in lowering the operating costs of the treatment plant. Furthermore, the denitrification process was significantly shorter and did not require nitrate nitrogen (V).