Aerobic granular sludge was cultivated from activated sludge with two types of supports, namely bivalve shell carrier (BSC) and anaerobic granules (ANG). Granules were characterized at different organic loading rates (OLRs) ranging from 2.5 to 15 kg COD/m(3) d and these granules were observed to withstand high OLRs. The physico-chemical characteristics of the aerobic granules were better than those of seed sludge. The granule formation with ANG support was found to be similar to that of non-support cultivation, i.e. formation from activated sludge only. By contrast, BSC support showed better performance in terms of faster settleability, compactness and especially resistance against organic shock loading. It also enabled self-cleaning effect by removing biofilm attached on the reactor wall during the start-up phase resulting rapid granulation process. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.