Simultaneous nitritation and p-nitrophenol removal using aerobic granular biomass in a continuous airlift reactor

- Nitritation and p-nitrophenol removal in a continuous granular reactor is feasible.
- Bioaugmentation and a specific feeding strategy were the keys for success.
- Granules were composed of NH4+ oxidising bacteria and p-nitrophenol degraders.
- Stable NH4+ oxidation was obtained, with less than 0.3% of nitrate in the effluent.
- Complete p-nitrophenol degradation at non-limiting dissolved oxygen concentration.