Paper Title
START-UP OF GRANULATION IN AEROBIC GRANULAR SLUDGE SEQUENCING BATCH REACTOR FOR TREATING INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER USING CATIONIC POLYMER

Abstract
In recent years, Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) has gained attention and popularity due to its compactness, efficiency, and sustainability. This technology has introduced better-settling sludge, which has allowed for higher biomass concentrations in the reactor. The purpose of this research is to convert conventional SBR to an AGS. With this method, industrial wastewater was used to study a way to speed up the start-up process of granulation and the effect of cationic polymers on aerobic granulation in SBR. In the lab, a 2 L cylindrical column-type SBR reactor with a 9 cm diameter and a 35.5 cm height was used to find out if the cationic polymer could help make granules. The optimum dose of cationic polymer was 150 mg/L during the reactor operation. The reactor was operated at a 38% volumetric exchange ratio. This study examined the possible formation of aerobic granules and the removal of other organic substances. The AGS system achieved high organic substance removal efficiencies. After 55 days of operation, the SVI5, SVI15, and average MLSS were observed at 60 ml/g, 40 ml/g, and 12.8 g/L. The system's effluent ammonium, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total chemical oxygen demand, and soluble chemical oxygen demand were 0.3 mg/L, 16.8 mg/L, 3.8 mg/L, 82.5 mg/L, and 94 mg/L, respectively, and their removal rates were 96%, 56%, 91%, and 75%. The study results reveal that AGS can be a better option than conventional SBR for the treatment of industrial wastewater, which requires less energy and is eco-friendly for full-scale implementation. Keywords - Aerobic Granular Sludge, Start-up, Cationic Polymer, Volumetric Exchange Ratio, Conventional SBR