STUDY ON BIOLOGICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL PROCESS BY ACINETOBACTER-LWOFFI - POSSIBILITY TO BYPASS THE ANAEROBIC PHASE

An Acinetobacter lwoffi culture has been sub mitted to anaerobic/aerob ic conditions in a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) in order to study th e ability of this strain in biological phosphorus removal process. Eve n by feeding a pure sodium acetate substrate, no phosphorus release ha s been detected during anaerobiosis, while phosphorus uptake beyond me tabolic needs has been recorded during the aerobic phase; the anaerobi c phase seems to have no influence on the enhanced biological phosphor us removal mechanisms. Hence aerobic batch tests have been carried out in order to verify the ability of Acinetobacter lwoffi to remove phos phorus by ''luxury uptake'' and ''overplus accumulation'' without anae robic stress. Obtained results revealed a phosphorus removal efficienc y of 75-80%.