Microbial Granule Technology—Prospects for Wastewater Treatment and Energy Production

Abstract

Recent years have brought significant evolution and changes in wastewater treatment systems. New solutions are sought to improve treatment efficiency, reduce investment/operational costs, and comply with the principles of circular economy and zero waste. Microbial granules can serve as an alternative to conventional technologies. Indeed, there has been fast-growing interest in methods harnessing aerobic (AGS) and anaerobic (AnGS) granular sludge as well as microbial-bacterial granules (MBGS), as evidenced by the number of studies on the subject and commercial installations developed. The present paper identifies the strengths and weaknesses of wastewater treatment systems based on granular sludge (GS) and their potential for energy production, with a particular focus on establishing the R&D activities required for further advance of these technologies. In particular, the impact of granules on bioenergy conversion, including bio-oil recovery efficiency and biomethane/biohydrogen yields, and bioelectrochemical systems must be assessed and optimized.

Optimisation of Biogas Production in the Co-Digestion of Pre-Hydrodynamically Cavitated Aerobic Granular Sludge with Waste Fats

“…In many cases, the use of AGS leads to lower investment and operating costs for wastewater treatment [14]. The main barrier to the dynamic development of AGS technology is the lack of data on the processing of excess sludge in AD [15]. Due to the characteristics and features of AGS that differ from typical ESS, the processes currently in use need to be assessed for their suitability and effectiveness.…”

Impact of Nano–Sized Polyethylene Terephthalate on Microalgal–Bacterial Granular Sludge in Non–Aerated Wastewater Treatment

“…Currently, to cope with the energy crisis and climate change, novel wastewater treatment processes are urgently needed to improve the efficiency of wastewater treatment and reduce operating costs while following the concept of the circular economy [1]. As an emerging process, the microalgal-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS) process has attracted great attention for its high efficiency, low energy consumption, minimal carbon dioxide emissions, and huge resource recovery potential [2,3].…”