Algae-Bacterial Aerobic Granular Sludge for Surfactant-Laden Saline Industrial Wastewater Treatment: A Sustainable Approach

Abstract

In recent years, interest in algae-bacteria aerobic granular sludge (ABGS) for industrial wastewater treatment has grown. This study compares ABGS and bacterial granular sludge (BGS) in treating surfactant-laden wastewater with salinity from 1 to 3%. Two lab-scale reactors were employed, one with ABGS and the other with BGS. Higher salinity positively influenced Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) removal, with ABGS outperforming BGS at 93.5% versus 88.4% at 3% salinity. Organic matter removal was moderately impacted, with ABGS achieving 96.4% and BGS 91.15% at 3% salinity. ABGS consistently surpassed BGS in ammoniacal-nitrogen (NH4+−N), total inorganic nitrogen (TIN), and phosphate-phosphorus (PO4−3-P) removal, reaching max removals of 97.45%, 77.78%, and 76.94%, respectively, compared to 94.41%, 72.98%, and 71.45% for BGS. ABGS aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contributing to water pollution mitigation, biodiversity conservation, climate action, and more. This study emphasizes ABGS's potential in treating surfactant-contaminated wastewater under varying salinity conditions, particularly excelling in nutrient and surfactant removal compared to BGS, aligning with multiple SDGs and promoting sustainable wastewater treatment practices.