Determination of an Appropriate Kinetic Model for Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors in Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Treatment

• Main Authors: Zahra Kolivand, Shahrokh Ghazimoradi, Fouad Kilanehei, Sayed Taghi Omid Naenie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Water and Wastewater Consulting Engineers Research Development 2020-11-01
• Series: آب و فاضلاب
• Subjects: wastewater treatment; moving bed biofilm reactors; kinetic model; bulk density; hydraulic retention time
• Online Access: http://www.wwjournal.ir/article_118219_4e7ec680dd199c087086b44f11d0f049.pdf
• ISSN: 1024-5936; 2383-0905

Human being encounters the lack of water as a main challenge in most parts of the world. As the world’s population soars and welfare levels rise, the demand for water increases. Increasing demand for this limited and valuable resource is creating new strategies for freshwater management; among these are innovative techniques for wastewater treatment. One of the new methods of wastewater treatment as well as upgrading existing treatment plants is the use of packing media within the aeration tank, i.e., a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor. In this way, a bench-scale reactor possessing a volume of 15 liters has been used and the experiments with influent COD of 500 and 1500 mg/l, media filling percentages of 30%, 50%, and 70% and hydraulic retention times of 4, 8, and 12 hours have been carried out. The observed data show that the optimum bulk density and hydraulic retention time for municipal wastewater are 50% and 4 hours and for industrial wastewater is 70% and 4 hours, respectively. Also, the kinetic study of reactor performance indicates that Grau second order model, at an acceptable level, conforms to Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor observed data. MBBR experimental results including hydraulic residence time and filling percentage data mentioned above can be utilized as reliable data in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment and afterwards reuse of treated water for irrigation.