A small wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) failed to meet effluent requirements of the first-A discharge standard in China, with the anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A/A/O) process treating municipal and partial industrial wastewater. Thus an A/O step feed process (Anoxic/oxic/anoxic/oxic/anoxic/oxic) with floating plastic carriers in aerobic units was proposed to improve nutrient removal within the existing WWTP. Emir main reform strategies were applied; (1) the original influent was divided into three streams which led into corresponding anoxic units; (2) floating plastic carriers were placed in the second and third oxic units; (3) nitrified liquid recycling was omitted; (4) channel shapes and sizes were adjusted between adjacent units to prevent backflow. After these modifications were implemented, the total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in the effluent were reduced from 20.8 to 14.2 mg/L, and from 1.89 to 0.57 mg/L, respectively. Moreover, annual electricity consumption in the WWTP was reduced by 245 MW h as a result of these modifications. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.