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Abstract
In this study, granular sludges collected from a mesophilic laboratory-scale UASB reactor were stored for 6 months at 4°C, 24°C (room temperature) and 35°C, respectively. The preservation characteristics of granular sludges (including soluble COD, granular particle size and granular surface morphology) in terms of storage age and temperature were investigated. It was found that 4°C stored UASB granules were more capable of maintaining their granular structures over those stored at 24°C and 35°C. Granulation in UASB reactors seeded with preserved sludge granules reached its post-maturation stage about 40 days ahead of the control, mainly by means of eliminating the embryonic granule formation stage from the granulation process. The results in this study indicated that the preserved granular sludge could be used as an effective inoculum to accelerate new UASB reactor start-up.