Midwest Reclamation EBPR Evaluation: Assessing MicroC® 2000 For Ample Phosphorus Reduction

The 354 MGD water reclamation facility serving 1.1 million people within an area of 300 square miles had converted two of the plant’s five wastewater-treatment batteries to an anoxic-anaerobic-oxic (A2O) configuration to improve the plant’s phosphorus-removal performance.

However, preliminary testing conducted by the facility’s maintenance, operations, engineering and research teams determined that the plant’s activated-sludge process readings of BOD:P of 15 (biochemical oxygen demand-phosphorus ratio) indicated a significant carbon deficiency to sustain the proper microorganisms necessary for waste reduction.

Two of the plant’s five batteries (A Battery and B Battery) were reconfigured to provide a suitable environment for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The two batteries were converted to an anoxic-anaerobic-oxic (A2O) configuration by modifying the diffused air flow along the 415-foot length of each of the eleven trains within each battery.