Patent ID: 7462285

Claim:
A method of wastewater treatment, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a first vessel for holding and digesting wastewater with a facultative heterotrophic bacteria as the dominant microbial population, b) admitting wastewater into the first vessel, c) providing a second vessel for the growth of autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria having autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria as the dominant microbial population, d) removing a predetermined portion of fluid from the first vessel, e) admitting at least a part of the predetermined portion of fluid into the second vessel, f) providing restricted fluid communication between the first and second vessel whereby the portion of fluid admitted to the second vessel remains in the second vessel for a sufficient amount of time to replenish the volume of the first vessel with autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria where the facultative heterotrophic bacteria are the dominant microbial population.