Includes bibliographical references.

Chapter 1 Introduction and thesis outline 1
Chapter 2 Effect of different operational conditions on biofilm
development, nitrification, and nitrifying microbial population
in moving bed biofilm reactors
55
Chapter 3 Simultaneous nitrogen and phosphate removal in aerobic
granular sludge reactors operated at different temperatures
87
Chapter 4 Unravelling the reasons for disproportion in the ratio of AOB
and NOB in aerobic granular sludge
131
Chapter 5 Ammonium adsorption in aerobic granular sludge, activated
sludge and anammox granules
155
Chapter 6 Effect of different salt adaptation strategies on the microbial
diversity, activity, and settling of nitrifying sludge in
sequencing batch reactors
187
Chapter 7 Effect of elevated salt concentrations on the aerobic granular
sludge process: linking microbial activity with the microbial
community structure
219
Chapter 8 Outlook

The content of this book consists of several important aspects regarding biological nutrient removal in compact systems such as moving-bed biofilm reactors (MBBR), aerobic granular sludge reactors (AGS) and sequencing batch reactors with suspended biomass. Different issues related to organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal are addressed in this book. The combination between molecular ecology techniques to study microbial diversity of engineered bioreactors and process conversions significantly enhanced the understanding of the reactor systems described Some of the topics discussed in the book are: Development of strategies to enhance the formation of nitrifying biofilms in MBBR systems; Complete characterization of the main process conversions taking place in AGS reactors operated at different temperatures, achieving simultaneous COD, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal; Investigation of the activity and diversity of nitrifying bacteria in aerobic granular sludge reactors; Detailed study on ammonium adsorption in aerobic granular sludge and its main causes; Investigation of the salt effect on the microbial diversity, activity, and settling of suspended nitrifying sludge.