pH as a Key Factor in the Competition Between Glycogen‐Accumulating Organisms and Phosphorus‐Accumulating Organisms

The effects of pH on the anaerobic metabolism of glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) and phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) were compared using models for the kinetics of acetate uptake. The comparison revealed that GAOs take up acetate faster than PAOs when the pH of the anaerobic zone is less than 7.25, but that PAOs remove acetate faster than GAOs at pHs greater than 7.5. It was also found that the growth efficiencies of the two …