The researchers compared two wastewater treatment processes to see which one was better at removing organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus. They found that the hybrid process, M-Dephanox, was more effective than the suspended-growth process, MLE. When the time water stayed in the system was reduced, MLE had more trouble with nitrification than M-Dephanox. In M-Dephanox, ammonia nitrogen removal was very good even with a short time in the system, but organic matter could still affect the process. Overall, reducing the time water stayed in the system helped improve the efficiency of the treatment process.