Author: Ahmet AYGÜN, Bilgehan NAS
Publishing Date: 2008
ISSN: 2147-9364
Volume 23 Issue 1
ABSTRACT:
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) is a modification of activated sludge process. The process has an aeration tank with synthetic carrier element and no sludge recycling from the clarifier. In this study, MBBR process is defined and its performance under different hydraulic and organic loadings was revealed as organic matter removal, nitrogen removal and sludge production. Aeration tank with 2 L volume was filled with the Kaldnes biomedia K1 at 50% of the volume of empty reactor and fed continuously with synthetic wastewater. The effect of hydraulic loadings on MBBR was studied with feeding synthetic wastewater that consist of 500 mgCOD/L at 4, 8 and 12 hours hydraulic retention times whereas the effect of organic loadings on MBBR was studied by feeding synthetic wastewater containing 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 5000 mgCOD/L as a function of organic load at 8 hour hydraulic retention time. At the hydraulic loads, 4 hour hydraulic retention time was founded enough for treating wastewater that consist 500 mgCOD/L with 94.6 % average COD removal. However, by increasing hydraulic retention time nitrification increased. Effluent nitrate-nitrogen was measured 6.12 mg/L, 10.99 mg/L ve 16.6 mg/L at 4, 8 and 12 hours, respectively. At the organic loads, when organic loading was increased from 6 to 96 g COD/m2.d, organic matter removal decreased. Nitrification became insignificant at organic loading rate of 6 g COD/m2.d. Average COD removal at the organic loadings were calculated as 95.1 %, 94.9 %, 89.3 %, 68.7 %, 45.2 % at 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 g COD/m2.d organic loadings, respectively. Resultant sludge production was equal to 0.12 kg TSS/kg totalCOD for influent totalCOD of 500 mg/L and increased when organic loading was increased.
Key Words: Wastewater Treatment; Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR); Organic Matter Removal; Sludge Production