A membrane aerated biofilm reactor for sulfide control from anaerobically treated wastewater

Abstract The current paper describes a novel passive aeration simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (PASND) zeolite amended biofilm reactor that removes organic carbon and nitrogen from wastewater with low-energy consumption. Next to the ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB), this reactor contained naturally enriched glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) and zeolite powder to initially adsorb BOD (acetate) and ammonium (NH4+-N) from synthetic wastewater under anaerobic conditions. Draining of the treated wastewater exposed the biofilm directly to air enabling low-energy oxygen supply by passive aeration. This allowed the adsorbed ammonium to be oxidized by the AOB and the produced nitrite and nitrate to be reduced simultaneously by the GAOs using the adsorbed BOD (stored as PHAs) as carbon source. Overall, with an operation mode of 1 h anaerobic and 4 h aerobic phase, the nutrient removal efficiency after single treatment was about 94.3% for BOD and 72.2% for nitrogen (NH4+-N). As high-energy aeration of the bulk solution for oxygen supply is completely avoided, the energy requirement of the proposed PASND biofilm reactor can be theoretically cut down to more than 50% compared to the traditional activated sludge process.

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Novel biofilm reactor for denitrification of municipal wastewater

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2018.433 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 78 (7) ◽

pp. 1566-1575 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

S. S. Rathnaweera ◽

B. Rusten ◽

K. Korczyk ◽

B. Helland ◽

E. Rismyhr

Keyword(s):

Carbon Source ◽

Municipal Wastewater ◽

Low Cost ◽

Oxygen Demand ◽

Pilot Scale ◽

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Removal Rates ◽

Good Filter ◽

Solids Removal

Abstract A pilot-scale CFIC® (continuous flow intermittent cleaning) reactor was run in anoxic conditions to study denitrification of wastewater. The CFIC process has already proven its capabilities for biological oxygen demand removal with a small footprint, less energy consumption and low cost. The present study focused on the applicability for denitrification. Both pre-denitrification (pre-DN) and post-denitrification (post-DN) were tested. A mixture of primary treated wastewater and nitrified wastewater was used for pre-DN and nitrified wastewater with ethanol as a carbon source was used for post-DN. The pre-DN process was carbon limited and removal rates of only 0.16 to 0.74 g NOx-N/m²-d were obtained. With post-DN and an external carbon source, 0.68 to 2.2 g NO3-Neq/m²-d removal rates were obtained. The carrier bed functioned as a good filter for both the larger particles coming with influent water and the bio-solids produced in the reactor. Total suspended solids removal in the reactor varied from 20% to 78% (average 45%) during post-DN testing period and 9% to 70% (average 29%) for pre-DN. The results showed that the forward flow washing improves both the DN function and filtration ability of the reactor.

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Oil refinery wastewater treatment in biofilm reactor followed by sand filtration aiming water reuse

Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination ◽

10.2166/wrd.2012.022 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 84-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Isabelli N. Dias ◽

Ana C. Cerqueira ◽

Geraldo L. Sant'Anna ◽

Marcia Dezotti

Keyword(s):

Water Reuse ◽

Slow Rate ◽

Combined Treatment ◽

Oxygen Demand ◽

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Oil Refinery ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Refinery Wastewater ◽

Oil Refinery Wastewater

Oil refinery wastewater was sequentially treated in a moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) and a slow-rate sand filter (SF) in order to obtain an effluent with adequate characteristics for downstream reverse osmosis (RO) operation. Experiments were conducted in bench scale units and the results showed that the MBBR was able to remove 90% chemical oxygen demand (COD), 75% NH4+, 95% phenols, operating with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 9 h. Additional removal of COD (15–40%) and ammonia (30–60%) was achieved in the slow-rate SF that was also effective for removing microorganisms. The silt density index (SDI) of the treated wastewater (4.5) was below the maximum limit recommended for RO operation. The quality of the effluent from the combined treatment system (MBBR+SF) was already adequate for cooling tower make-up. The RO produced an effluent with quality compatible with that required for use in boilers.

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Reduction of Cost and Environmental Impact in the Treatment of Textile Wastewater Using a Combined MBBR-MBR System

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes11110892 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 892

Author(s):

Xuefei Yang ◽

Víctor López-Grimau

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Textile Industry ◽

Net Present Value ◽

Capital Expenditure ◽

Textile Wastewater ◽

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Industrial Scale ◽

Conventional Activated Sludge ◽

Operational Expenditure

A hybrid Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor—Membrane Bioreactor (MBBR-MBR) was developed for the treatment of wastewater from a Spanish textile company. Compared with conventional activated sludge (CAS) treatment, the feasibility of this hybrid system to reduce economic and environmental impact on an industrial scale was conducted. The results showed that, technically, the removal efficiency of COD, TSS and color reached 93%, 99% and 85%, respectively. The newly dyed fabrics performed with the treated wastewater were qualified under the standards of the textile industry. Economically, the values of Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) calculated for the hybrid MBBR-MBR system are profitable because of the reduction in Operational Expenditure (OPEX) when compared with CAS treatment, due to the lower effluent discharge tax thanks to the higher quality of the effluent and the decolorizing agent saved. The result of Net Present Value (NPV) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 18% suggested that MBBR-MBR is financially applicable for implantation into the industrial scale. The MBBR-MBR treatment also showed lower environmental impacts than the CAS process in the life cycle assessment (LCA) study, especially in the category of climate change, thanks to the avoidance of using extra decolorizing agent, a synthetic product based on a triamine.

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Enhancing treated wastewater effluent characteristics using hybrid biofilm/activated sludge process – a case study

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2020.074 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 81 (2) ◽

pp. 217-227

Author(s):

Khalid Hassan ◽

Olfat Hamdy ◽

Mohamed Helmy ◽

Hossam Mostafa

Keyword(s):

Activated Sludge ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Oxygen Demand ◽

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Hybrid Reactor ◽

Conventional Activated Sludge ◽

Fill Fraction ◽

Hydraulic Load

Abstract This paper documents the results of 12 months of monitoring of an upgraded hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor-conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (MBBR-CAS WWTP). It also targets the assessment of the increment of the hydraulic load on existing treatment units with a zero construction and land cost. The influent flow to the plant was increased from 21,000 m3 d−1 to 30,000 m3 d−1, 40% of the existing CAS reactor volume was used for the MBBR zone with a carrier fill fraction of 47.62% and with Headworks Bio ActiveCell™ 515 used as media; no modifications were made for the primary and secondary tanks. The hybrid reactor showed high removal efficiencies for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS), with average effluent values recording 33.00 ± 8.87 mg L−1, 52.90 ± 9.65 mg L−1 and 29.50 ± 6.64 mg L−1 respectively. Nutrient removals in the hybrid modified biological reactor were moderate compared with carbon removal despite the high C/N ratio of 12.33. Findings in this study favor the application of MBBR in the upgrading of existing CAS plants with the plant BOD5 removal efficiency recording an increase of about 5% compared with the plant before upgrade and effluent values well within the legal requirements.

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Phosphate recovery as concentrated solution from treated wastewater by a PAO-enriched biofilm reactor

Water Research ◽

10.1016/j.watres.2013.01.027 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 47 (6) ◽

pp. 2025-2032 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Hiroya Kodera ◽

Masashi Hatamoto ◽

Kenichi Abe ◽

Tomonori Kindaichi ◽

Noriatsu Ozaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Phosphate Recovery ◽

Concentrated Solution

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DSC ANALYSIS OF NOVEL POLYETHILENE BIOFILM CARRIERS

TEXTEH Proceedings ◽

10.35530/tt.2019.11 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 204-207

Author(s):

Ovidiu IORDACHE ◽

Irina SANDULACHE ◽

Ioana Corina MOGA ◽

Cornelia MITRAN ◽

Lucia SECAREANU ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Compounds ◽

High Density Polyethylene ◽

High Density ◽

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Dsc Analysis ◽

Treatment Technology ◽

Inorganic Substances ◽

Biofilm Development ◽

Inorganic And Organic

MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) wastewater treatment technology relies heavily on the type of used HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) carriers, that use immobilized biofilm for the removal of organic and inorganic substances in the treated wastewater. Present work explored DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) analysis on four novel variants of HDPE carriers. DSC is a thermoanalytical technique in which the difference in the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a sample and reference is measured as a function of temperature. The four novel carriers were composed of novel recipes of mixes of polyethylene with inorganic and organic compounds (patent pending), designed for greater microbial biofilm development. DSC analysis. DSC analysis was carried out in order to understand the behavior of the developed carriers, in various scenarios. High density polyethylene (HDPE) is a weak, semi- crystalline, thermoplastic polymer that is part of the polyolefin class. Analysis revealed that the temperatures at which the melting process of crystalline zones in the macromolecular structures occur, gradually decreases from the sample with only HDPE in composition to the one with addition of a mix of inorganic and organic compounds.

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Monitoring Opportunistic Pathogens in Domestic Wastewater from a Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Biofilm Reactor to Reuse in Agricultural Irrigation

Water ◽

10.3390/w11061283 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1283 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bingjian Cui ◽

Shengxian Liang

Keyword(s):

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Wastewater Reuse ◽

Domestic Wastewater ◽

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Wastewater Irrigation ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Agricultural Irrigation ◽

Opportunistic Pathogens ◽

Potential Health ◽

Treated Effluent

Wastewater reuse for agricultural irrigation in many developing countries is an increasingly common practice. Regular monitoring of indicators can help to identify potential health risks; therefore, there is an urgent need to understand the presence and abundance of opportunistic pathogens in wastewater, as well as plant phyllosphere and rhizosphere. In this study, an anaerobic biofilm reactor (ABR) was developed to treat rural domestic wastewater; the performance of pollutants removal and pathogenic bacteria elimination were investigated. Additionally, we also assessed the physicochemical and microbiological profiles of soil and lettuces after wastewater irrigation. Aeromonas hydrophila, Arcobacter sp., Bacillus cereus, Bacteroides sp., Escherichia coli, Legionella sp., and Mycobacterium sp. were monitored in the irrigation water, as well as in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of lettuces. Pathogens like B. cereus, Legionella sp. and Mycobacterium sp. were present in treated effluent with relatively high concentrations, and the levels of A. hydrophila, Arcobacter sp., and E. coli were higher in the phyllosphere. The physicochemical properties of soil and lettuce did not vary significantly. These data indicated that treated wastewater irrigation across a short time period may not alter the soil and crop properties, while the pathogens present in the wastewater may transfer to soil and plant, posing risks to human health.

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Treatment of integrated newsprint mill wastewater in moving bed biofilm reactors

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1997.0511 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 35 (2-3) ◽

pp. 173-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

A. Broch-Due ◽

R. Andersen ◽

B. Opheim

Keyword(s):

Biological Treatment ◽

Chemical Precipitation ◽

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor ◽

Moving Bed ◽

Biofilm Reactors ◽

Untreated Wastewater ◽

Removal Efficiencies ◽

Subsequent Chemical

Wastewaters from three integrated newsprint mills have been treated in a pilot plant Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR). In the MBBR the biomass adheres to small plastic elements which move freely along with the water in the reactor. A reduction of 65-75% for COD and 85-95% for BOD was obtained at HRT of 4-5 hours. By prolonging the HRT the removal efficiencies of COD and BOD increased to about 80% and 96%, respectively. With a subsequent chemical precipitation a removal efficiency of COD up to 95% was achieved. The amount of chemicals needed for precipitation of the biologically treated wastewater was only a quarter to a third of that needed for chemical treatment of the untreated wastewater. The results showed the MBBR process to be competitive with conventional biological treatment systems and that treatment objectives can be met at short HRTs.

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MBBR evaluation for oil refinery wastewater treatment, with post-ozonation and BAC, for wastewater reuse

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2011.024 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 143-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

E. E. Schneider ◽

A. C. F. P. Cerqueira ◽

M. Dezotti

Keyword(s):

Activated Carbon ◽

Removal Efficiency ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Wastewater Reuse ◽

Volume Ratio ◽

Biofilm Reactor ◽

Oil Refinery ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Refinery Wastewater ◽

Oil Refinery Wastewater

This work evaluated the performance of a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) in the treatment of an oil refinery wastewater. Also, it investigated the possibility of reuse of the MBBR effluent, after ozonation in series with a biological activated carbon (BAC) column. The best performance of the MBBR was achieved with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 hours, employing a bed to bioreactor volume ratio (VB/VR) of 0.6. COD and N-NH4+ MBBR effluent concentrations ranged from 40 to 75 mg L−1 (removal efficiency of 69–89%) and 2 to 6 mg L−1 (removal efficiency of 45–86%), respectively. Ozonation carried out for 15 min with an ozone concentration of 5 mg L−1 was able to improve the treated wastewater biodegradability. The treatment performance of the BAC columns was practically the same for ozonated and non ozonated MBBR effluents. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of the columns of the activated carbon columns (CAG) was in the range of 2.1–3.8 mg L−1, and the corresponding DOC removal efficiencies were comprised between 52 and 75%. The effluent obtained at the end of the proposed treatment presented a quality, which meet the requirements for water reuse in the oil refinery.

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