Treatment and phosphorus removal from high-concentration organic wastewater by the yeast Hansenula anomala J224 PAWA

A flocculent yeast, Hansenula anomala J224 PAWA, bred in this study, accumulated twice as much phosphorus as the wild type. Over a 30-d period, PAWA removed 70–80% of dissolved total phosphorus from sweet-potato and barley shochu wastewaters (alcoholic distillery wastewaters) while the wild type removed only 30%. Waste sludge was easily separated from effluent wastewater because PAWA cells made large flocks that rapidly settled. Component analysis suggested that PAWA sludge could be used as a protein source for feedstuff and as a phosphorus source for fertilizer. Under anaerobic conditions, denitrification was rapid, resulting in the removal of large amounts of nitrogen from barley shochu wastewater. These results suggest that small shochu manufacturers could benefit from using PAWA to remove phosphorus and organic compounds and then by using a combination of the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket and the downflow hanging sponge method (UASB-DHS method) for nitrification/denitrification.