Modelling Nitrification of a Lagoon Effluent in Moving-Bed Biofilm Reactors

2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwight Houweling ◽  
Frédéric Monette ◽  
Louise Millette ◽  
Yves Comeau

Abstract A pilot study was performed at the Sainte-Julie wastewater treatment plant to evaluate the potential of using the Moving-Bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) process for removing BOD5 (5-day biochemical oxygen demand) and ammonia nitrogen in a two-stage process at the exit of the first lagoon. Nitrification was observed in the first reactor at rates similar to those reported in the literature for a similar biomass carrier when bulk liquid dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were 6 g of O2 per m3. Nitrification rates were significantly reduced when DO was reduced to 3 g of O2 per m3. DO concentrations were maintained at 6 g of O2 per m3 in the second reactor, and nitrification rates comparable to those reported in the literature were observed for a temperature range of 3 to 16°C. An empirical DO-limited model was validated for the first reactor while in the second reactor nitrification was found to be either DO limited or total-ammonia-nitrogen limited, depending on nitrification rates in the upstream reactor. The DO-limited model predicts that the MBBR process is more sensitive to organic load than it is to temperature. A commercially available numerical model was calibrated to the results of the pilot study. Model results indicate that detachment and attachment rates play an important role in determining nitrification rates in the biofilm. Similar nitrification rates in an MBBR system installed upstream and downstream from an aerated lagoon in winter conditions were predicted using the empirical DO-limited model.

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 351-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Ødegaard ◽  
B. Rusten ◽  
H. Badin

In 1988 the State Pollution Control Authority in Norway made recommendations regarding process designs for small wastewater treatment plants. Amongst these were recommendations for biological/chemical plants where biofilm reactors were used in combination with pretreatment in large septic tanks and chemical post treatment. At the same time the socalled “moving bed biofilm reactor” (MBBR) was developed by a Norwegian company. In this paper, experiences from a small wastewater treatment plant, based on the MBBR and on the recommendations mentioned, will be presented.


2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 361-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Bonomo ◽  
G. Pastorelli ◽  
E. Quinto ◽  
G. Rinaldi

Two bench-scale reactors, fed with the secondary effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), were used in order to study tertiary nitrification in pure oxygen moving bed biofilm reactors (PO-MBBRs) with patented KMT® media as biofilm carriers. The process allowed to measure very high nitrification rates, both in ammonia limiting conditions (up to 7 gN m−2 d−1; oxygen-to-ammonia nitrogen ratio higher than 3–4 mgO2 (mgN)−1) and in oxygen limiting conditions (up to 8 gN m−2 d−1; oxygen-to-ammonia nitrogen ratio lower than 1–2 mgO2 (mgN)−1). Since the process proved flexible and reliable, it is suitable for full-scale application to municipal WWTPs. Typical application could regard, but is not limited to, tertiary nitrification of secondary effluent from existing high-purity oxygen activated sludge systems designed to achieve only organic carbon removal.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 2484
Author(s):  
César Huiliñir ◽  
Vivian Fuentes ◽  
Carolina Estuardo ◽  
Christian Antileo ◽  
Ernesto Pino-Cortés

This work aimed to achieve partial nitrification (PN) in a Sequencing Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor SMBBR with zeolite as a biomass carrier by using sulfide pulses in the presence of organic matter as an inhibitor. Two conditions were evaluated: sulfide (HS−) = 5 mg S/L and vvm (air volume per liquid volume per minute, L of air L−1 of liquid min−1) = 0.1 (condition 1); and a HS− = 10 mg S/L and a vvm = 0.5 (condition 2). The simultaneous effect of organic matter and sulfide was evaluated at a Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) = 350 mg/L and HS− = 5 mg S/L, with a vvm = 0.5. As a result, using the sulfide pulse improved the nitrite accumulation in both systems. However, Total Ammonia Nitrogen (TAN) oxidation in both processes decreased by up to 60%. The simultaneous presence of COD and sulfide significantly reduced the TAN and nitrite oxidation, with a COD removal yield of 80% and sulfide oxidation close to 20%. Thus, the use of a sulfide pulse enabled PN in a SMBBR with zeolite. Organic matter, together with the sulfide pulse, almost completely inhibited the nitrification process despite using zeolite.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1810
Author(s):  
Aikaterini A. Mazioti ◽  
Loukas E. Koutsokeras ◽  
Georgios Constantinides ◽  
Ioannis Vyrides

Two labscale aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) systems, with a different type of biocarrier in each (K3 and Mutag BioChip), were operated in parallel for the treatment of real saline bilge water. During the operation, different stress conditions were applied in order to evaluate the performance of the systems: organic/hydraulic load shock (chemical oxygen demand (COD): 9 g L-1; hydraulic retention time (HRT): 48–72 h) and salinity shock (salinity: 40 ppt). At the same time, the microbiome in the biofilm and suspended biomass was monitored through 16S rRNA gene analysis in order to describe the changes in the microbial community. The dominant classes were Alphaproteobacteria (families Rhodospirillaceae and Rhodobacteraceae) and Bacteroidia (family Lentimicrobiaceae), being recorded at high relative abundance in all MBBRs. The structure of the biofilm was examined and visualized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Both systems exhibited competent performance, reaching up to 86% removal of COD under high organic loading conditions (COD: 9 g L-1). In the system in which K3 biocarriers were used, the attached and suspended biomass demonstrated a similar trend regarding the changes observed in the microbial communities. In the bioreactor filled with K3 biocarriers, higher concentration of biomass was observed. Biofilm developed on Mutag BioChip biocarriers presented lower biodiversity, while the few species identified in the raw wastewater were not dominant in the bioreactors. Through energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis of the biofilm, the presence of calcium carbonate was discovered, indicating that biomineralization occurred.


2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 169-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Andreottola ◽  
E. Damiani ◽  
P. Foladori ◽  
P. Nardelli ◽  
M. Ragazzi

Tourists visiting mountain refuges in the Alps have increased significantly in the last decade and the number of refuges and huts at high altitude too. In this research the results of an intensive monitoring of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for a tourist mountain refuge located at 2,981 m a.s.l. are described. Two biofilm reactors were adopted: (a) a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR); (b) a submerged Fixed Bed Biofilm Reactor (FBBR). The aims of this research were: (i) the evaluation of the main parameters characterising the processes and involved in the design of the wastewater plants, in order to compare advantages and disadvantages of the two tested alternatives; (ii) the acquisition of an adequate knowledge of the problems connected with the wastewater treatment in alpine refuges. The main results have been: (i) a quick start-up of the biological reactors obtainable thanks to a pre-colonization before the transportation of the plastic carriers to the refuge at the beginning of the tourist season; (ii) low volume and area requirement; (iii) significantly higher removal efficiency compared to other fixed biomass systems, such as trickling filters, but the energy consumption is higher.


2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Andreottola ◽  
P. Foladori ◽  
M. Ragazzi

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a full-scale upgrading of an existing RBC wastewater treatment plant with a MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) system, installed in a tank previously used for sludge aerobic digestion. The full-scale plant is located in a mountain resort in the North-East of Italy. Due to the fact that the people varied during the year's seasons (2000 resident people and 2000 tourists) the RBC system was insufficient to meet the effluent standards. The MBBR applied system consists of the FLOCOR-RMP®plastic media with a specific surface area of about 160 m2/m3 (internal surface only). Nitrogen and carbon removal from wastewater was investigated over a 1-year period, with two different plant lay-outs: one-stage (only MBBR) and two stage system (MBBR and rotating biological contactors in series). The systems have been operated at low temperature (5–15°C). 50% of the MBBR volume (V=79 m3) was filled. The organic and ammonium loads were in the average 7.9 gCOD m−2 d−1 and 0.9 g NH4−N m−2 d−1. Typical carbon and nitrogen removals in MBBR at temperature lower than 8°C were respectively 73% and 72%.


2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
I. A. Sánchez ◽  
R. K. X. Bastos ◽  
E. A. T. Lana

Abstract In two pilot-scale experiments, fingerlings and juvenile of tilapia were reared in high rate algal pond (HRAP) effluent. The combination of three different total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) surface loading rates (SLR1 = 0.6, SLR2 = 1.2; SLR3 = 2.4 kg TAN·ha−1·d−1) and two fish stocking densities (D1 = 4 and D2 = 8 fish per tank) was evaluated during two 12-week experiments. Fingerlings total weight gain varied from 4.9 to 18.9 g, with the highest value (equivalent to 0.225 g·d−1) being recorded in SLR2-D1 treatment; however, high mortality (up to 67%) was recorded, probably due to sensitivity to ammonia and wide daily temperature variations. At lower water temperatures, juvenile tilapia showed no mortality, but very low weight gain. The fish rearing tanks worked as wastewater polishing units, adding the following approximate average removal figures on top of those achieved at the HRAP: 63% of total Kjeldahl nitrogen; 54% of ammonia nitrogen; 42% of total phosphorus; 37% of chemical oxygen demand; 1.1 log units of Escherichia coli.


1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 703-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Rusten ◽  
H. Ødegaard ◽  
A. Lundar

A novel moving bed biofilm reactor has been developed, where the biofilm grows on small, free floating plastic elements with a large surface area and a density slightly less than 1.0 g/cm3. The specific biofilm surface area can be regulated as required, up to a maximum of approximately 400 m2/m3. The ability to remove organic matter from concentrated industrial effluents was tested in an aerobic pilot-plant with two moving bed biofilm reactors in series and a specific biofilm surface area of 276 m2/m3. Treating dairy wastewater, the pilot-plant showed 85% and 60% COD removal at volumetric organic loading rates of 500 g COD/m3h and 900 g COD/m3h respectively. Based on the test results, the moving bed biofilm reactors should be very suitable for treatment of food industry effluents.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Aspegren ◽  
Ulf Nyberg ◽  
Bengt Andersson ◽  
Sören Gotthardsson ◽  
Jes la Cour Jansen

The Sjölunda wastewater treatment plant in Malmö Sweden will have to comply with future effluent standards of less than 10 mg BOD7/l, 8 mg N/l and 0.3 mg P/l. The upgrading for enhanced nutrient removal will be based on a site-specific concept where a tertiary treatment step for post-denitrification will be required. An interesting process in this respect is the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). The number of practical experiences with this type of process is however still limited. In this paper the results from a pilot plant test are presented. The primary aim of the experiment was to demonstrate the MBBR process as part of an overall concept for nutrient removal at the Sjölunda WWTP. Two different carbon sources, ethanol and methanol were tested. In addition the effect of low phosphate concentrations on the process performance was investigated.


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