The treatment of synthetic landfill leachate and raw landfill leachate were investigated using two sets of 3 L aerobic sequencing batch reactors (SBR): activated sludge SBR (ASBR) and granular SBR (GSBR). In synthetic young landfill leachate treatment, GSBR was more efficient in nitrogen and carbon removal than ASBR. During the steady period of the experiment, 99% total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) was removed through nitritation and nitrification in GSBR with an average influent TAN concentration of 498 mg/L. On the contrary, complete nitrification was not achieved in ASBR with a nitrification efficiency of 77±10%. GSBR also presented higher efficiency in denitrification and COD removal compared to ASBR. Phosphorus removal efficiency was almost identical in both reactors. Synthetic old landfill leachate treatment using GSBR maintained the stable COD removal efficiency at 66%, when the ammonia nitrogen to the maximum of 465±46 mg/L. The ASBR required a start-up of at least 30 days and removed 59±9% of COD when an influent ammonia nitrogen concentration about 200 mg/L. The GSBR was also more efficient than the ASBR for nitrogen removal. The granular sludge reached a maximum ammonia removal of 95±7%, whereas 96±5% was achieved by ASBR. The phosphorus removal was likely affected by the free nitrous acid (FNA) and the low biodegradability of tannic acid. In raw landfill leachate treatment, the total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal efficiency was in GSBR approximately 99.7%. However, the ASBR treatment did not show a consistent performance in TAN removal. TAN removal efficiency decreased with increasing ammonia concentration in the influent. Nitrification in GSBR was partially inhibited at FA concentrations of 48 to 57 mg/L, which was two times more than the FA concentration that inhibited nitrification in ASBR. In terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, low removal efficiencies of 17% and 26% were observed in ASBR and GSBR, respectively. The low COD removal efficiencies were associated with the refractory organic content of the leachate used in this study, which resulted in a poor phosphorous removal performance as well. Overall, aerobic granular sludge showed a better performance in removing nutrients and organic matter from young or old landfill leachate, being more efficient than the conventional suspended growth activated sludge. Therefore, the use of AGS for leachate treatment should be encouraged. Further investigations should also be addressed, especially with a focus on improving SND and phosphorus removal efficiencies. / May 2017

Pour faire face à des réglementations de plus en plus contraignantes, des procédés compacts et performants doivent être développés pour assurer un traitement des effluents efficace et pérenne. La technologie des boues granulaires aérobies permet de coupler productivité et compacité pour autant qu’elle soit maîtrisée. La formation des granules implique des conditions opératoires définies principalement dans des réacteurs discontinus. Afin d’améliorer la capacité de traitement, ce travail a pour objectif de proposer des conditions opératoires permettant l’utilisation des boues granulaires aérobies dans un réacteur en régime continu. Pour cela, la technique de granulation de l’écosystème est contrôlée par l’optimisation du fonctionnement d’un réacteur de laboratoire fonctionnant en discontinu (mode transitoire) puis la procédure obtenue est transposée à une taille de réacteur plus importante. Cette étude montre que la charge massique, le cisaillement et la pression de sélection des boues conditionnent la formation des granules et leurs propriétés. Le fonctionnement du réacteur en régime continu a ensuite été étudié. Il est montré que la structure granulaire a pu être maintenue tout en augmentant l’efficacité du procédé, tout paramètre équivalent par ailleurs (capacité de traitement doublée pour le réacteur continu). In fine, le système a été testé avec un effluent industriel. Un logiciel industriel a été utilisé afin de représenter pour l’optimiser le fonctionnement d’un réacteur fluidisé granulaire tel qu’obtenu expérimentalement. Si le module proposé dans ce logiciel a montré ses limites pour simuler un régime SBR, le modèle MBBR , bien que ne considérant pas la granule dans son ensemble, semble être adéquat pour représenter le fonctionnement en continu. L’utilisation des boues granulaires dans un réacteur continu est une technologie prometteuse mais nécessite des investigations sur son fonctionnement à long terme et sa modélisation. / Due to more stringent regulations, wastewater processes need to be more compact and effective. The utilization of aerobic granular sludge conjugates compactness and productivity with the control of the operational. Granulation, which need specific conditions, are mostly operated in batch reactors. To improve the capacity of treatment, this study investigates process conditions for an optimal operation for a continuous reactor working with aerobic granular sludge. First of all, granulation technique is optimized in a laboratory batch reactor (SBR) and results reveal that food to microorganism ratio, shear and selection pressure applied influence pellets’ formation and their properties. Then, this optimized method is successfully scaled-up. After that, the utilization of granules in continuous is studied and this mode increases the reactor capacity while the granular structure is maintained. The utilization of an industrial influent shows reserved results. A commercial software was used to simulate experimental results obtained for a fluidized reactor using pellets. The model, proposed by the software, shows inconsistencies in batch mode. The MBBR model seems more appropriate to simulate continuous mode although the whole pellet is not considered. So, the utilization of aerobic granular sludge in a continuous reactor is a promising technology but further research is needed in the long term operation and its modeling.

Biological nutrient removal has been studied and applied for decades in order to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. However, more anthropogenic uses and the continued demand for water have forced the facilities to operate at their maximum capacity. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is to obtain more compact systems for nutrient removal from domestic wastewater. In this sense, optimization and long-term stabilization of high volume exchange ratios reactors, treating higher volumes of wastewater, have been investigated. With the same target, aerobic granular sludge was proposed as a reliable alternative to reduce space and increase loading rates in treatment plants. However, the low organic loading rate from low-strength influents (less than 1 Kg COD•m-3d-1) results in slower granular formation and a longer time to reach a steady state. Because of that, different methodologies and operational conditions were investigated in order to enhance granulation and nutrient removal from domestic wastewater. / L’estudi de l’eliminació biològica de nutrients s’ha dut a terme durant dècades. Tot i això, la influencia de l’home i l’augment de la demanda d’aigua han forçat a les instal•lacions a treballar a la seva capacitat màxima. Així, l’objectiu de la tesi és obtenir sistemes més compactes per a l’eliminació de nutrients de les aigües residuals. En aquest sentit, s’ha investigat l’optimització i estabilització de reactors amb alts volums d’intercanvi, tractant més aigua. Amb el mateix objectiu, el fang granular aeròbic va ser proposat com una alternativa fiable per tal de reduir l’espai i incrementar les càrregues de les depuradores. Tot i això, la granulació amb influents de baixa càrrega (menors a 1 Kg dQO•m-3d-1) resulta més lenta i més dificultosa alhora d’obtenir l’estat estacionari. Per aquesta raó es van investigar diferents metodologies i condicions d’operació per tal de millorar la granularció i l’eliminació de nutrients de les aigües urbanes.