Abstract
The hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) has been well studied and applied for denitrification of nitrate-containing water and wastewater. Adding an oxygen-based MBfR allows total-nitrogen removal when the input nitrogen is ammonium. However, most wastewaters also contain a significant concentration or organic material, measured as chemical oxygen demand (COD). This study describes experiments to investigate the removal of organic and nitrogenous compounds in the combined Aerobic/Anoxic MBfR, in which an Aerobic MBfR (Aer MBfR) precedes an Anoxic MBfR (An MBfR). The experiments demonstrate that the Aer/An MBfR combination accomplished COD oxidation and nitrogen removal for a total oxygen demand flux (i.e., from COD and NH4 oxidations) in the range of 1.2-7.2 g O2/m2-d for 4.5 psi (0.3 atm) oxygen pressure to the Aer MBfR, but was overloaded and did not accomplish nitrification for the total oxygen demand load higher than 14 g O2/m2-d. Total-nitrogen removal was controlled by nitrification in the Aer MBfR, because the An MBfR denitrified all NO3- provided to it by the Aer MBfR. The overload of total oxygen demand did not affect COD oxidation in the Aer MBfR, but caused a small increase of COD in the An MBfR due to net release of soluble microbial products (SMP).
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 4109-4116 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Water Research |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 15 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2008 |
Keywords
- BOD oxidation
- Membrane biofilm reactor
- Total oxygen demand
- Total oxygen flux
- Total-nitrogen removal
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecological Modeling
- Water Science and Technology
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Pollution