Aerobic Granular Biomass Technology: further innovation, system development and design optimisation Andreas Giesen 1 *, Mark van Loosdrecht 2 , Struan Robertson 3 , Bart de Buin 1 1 Royal HaskoningDHV, the Netherlands 2 Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands 3 Royal HaskoningDHV, South Africa * E-mail: andreas.giesen@rhdhv.com ABSTRACT Aerobic granulation is seen as the future standard for industrial and municipal wastewater treatment and subsequently research efforts are quickly developing in this field. As an outcome of a Dutch research and development program, an aerobic granular biomass technology has been scaled-up and implemented to treat urban and industrial wastewater. This Nereda ® technology is considered being the first aerobic granular sludge technology applied at full-scale and more than 20 municipal and industrial plants are in operation or under construction worldwide. Further plants are in the planning and design phase, including plants with capacities exceeding 1 million PE. Operating data confirm the projected advantages with regard to treatment performance, energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In addition, a new possibility for extracting alginate like polymers from aerobic granular sludge has emerged which could provide sustainable reuse opportunities. KEYWORDS: Aerobic granular biomass, Nereda ® , cost-effective, energy efficient, sustainable, small footprint, biotechnology, innovation, wastewater treatment, sanitation INTRODUCTION Since the development of BNR systems for activated sludge, the research on biological wastewater treatment processes has focused on improved separation techniques for activated sludge by improving settling properties and physical separation techniques (i.e. MBR systems). The fundamental requirements to improve settlability are compact, dense, large particles with higher specific gravity. This became the foundation for the research and development of aerobic granules by Delft University of Technology (DUT). Discovered by Professor Mark van Loosdrecht from DUT, the process has been engineered to suit commercial applications by Royal HaskoningDHV and has been commercially branded as Nereda ® Technology. Aerobic granular biomass has several advantages over conventional activated sludge flocs that have been well-documented. These include good settling ability that leads to better biomass retention and higher biomass concentrations, provision of a structured matrix for biomass growth, and ability to withstand high load variations. These all lead to a compact reactor design that can reduce plant footprints significantly. The research and development of aerobic granules commenced at DUT in 1993. In 2002 aerobic granular sludge is discovered and stable laboratory scale granulation