Abstract:
This study was to investigate the effects of different types of organic substrate on Polyhydroxyalkanoate ; PHA synthesis in microbial cell from anaerobic-aerobic activated sludge process. Four anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactors, each volume of 10 liters, labeled as EBPR, R50, RlOOL and RlOOH, were operated with either acetate or glucose as the main carbon sources : EBPR fed with only acetate in the COD of 1,500 mg/1, R50 fed with acetate to glucose (1:l) in the COD of 500 mgll, RlOOL fed with only glucose in the COD of 500 mg/l and RlOOH fed with only glucose in the COD of 1,000 mg/l.The sludges from steady operated SBR were conducted in batch experiments under anaerobic condition for 24 hours. Four types of organic substrates used in batch experiments were acetate, glucose, glucose to acetate (2:l) and glucose to acetate (1 :2) with the COD of 1,500 mgll in all. There were no PHA containing in the initial sludges taken from the end of aerobic phase of all SBRs except RlOOH with PHA 14 mgC/gVSS. Glycogen in EBPR, R50, RlOOL and RlOOH SBR processes were approximately 166, 128, 132 and 138 mgC/gVSS, respectively. The results in the batch experiments suggested that EBPR sludge, acclimated with acetate and fed with phosphorus enough for the proliferation of PAOs, synthesized PHA about 105.2, 81.5, 71.0 and 51.0 mgC/gVSS for acetate, glucose to acetate (1 :2), glucose to acetate (2:l) and glucose, respectively. Lower PHA were synthesized in RlOOH, R50 and RlOOL sludges, respectively. Furthermore, low COD loading resulted to the present of dissolved oxygen 0.5 mgll in anaerobic phase of R50 and RlOOL SBRs therefore lower efficiencieson PHA synthesis in R50 and RlOOL sludges at anaerobic condition in batch tests comparing with that in sludge from high COD loading, RlOOH were obtained. It can be concluded that with the same substrate, the important factors on PHA synthesis in different sludges were the ratios of PAOs in sludge, the acclimatization of sludge with dissolved oxygen and type of substrate, respectively. Another point of view, the important factors on PHA synthesis with different organic substrates but the same type of sludge were the ratio of acetate to glucose; more acetate fed higher PHA produced. The PHA composition like PHB and PHV depended on the ratio of acetate to glucose in the substrate, since acetate can be converted to PHB while glucose can be converted to PHV.