title: The application of moving bed biofilm reactor to denitrification process after trickling filters.
abstract: The paper presents research of a prototype moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). The device was used for the post-denitrification process and was installed at the end of a technological system consisting of a septic tank and two trickling filters. The concentrations of suspended biomass and biomass attached on the EvU Perl moving bed surface were determined. The impact of the external organic carbon concentration on the denitrification rate and efficiency of total nitrogen removal was also examined. The study showed that the greater part of the biomass was in the suspended form and only 6% of the total biomass was attached to the surface of the moving bed. Abrasion forces between carriers of the moving bed caused the fast stripping of attached microorganisms and formation of flocs. Thanks to immobilization of a small amount of biomass, the MBBR was less prone to leaching of the biomass and the occurrence of scum and swelling sludge. It was revealed that the maximum rate of denitrification was an average of 0.73 gN-NO3/gDM·d (DM: dry matter), and was achieved when the reactor was maintained in external organic carbon concentration exceeding 300 mgO2/dm3chemical oxygen demand. The reactor proved to be an effective device enabling the increase of total nitrogen removal from 53.5% to 86.0%.
authors.affiliation: Ekofinn-Pol Ltd, ul. Lesna 12, Banino 80-297, Poland E-mail: lk@ekofinn.pl.
authors.forename: Lukasz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kopec
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, ul. Narutowicza 11/12, Gdansk 80-233, Poland.
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Drewnowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koszalin University of Technology, ul. Raclawicka 15-17, Koszalin 75-620, Poland.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kopec
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors; D058440:Denitrification; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D009584:Nitrogen