A Pilot Plant Study Using a Contact Oxidation Filtration Separation Integrated Bioreactor to Treat Municipal Wastewater

The pilot plant study comprised the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) operational mode of a contact oxidation filtration separation integrated bioreactor (CFBR) for treating municipal wastewater. The CFBR was made up of an upper biofilm reactor and a lower gravitational filtration bed. Polyacrylonitrile balls (50mm diameter, 237 m²/m³ specific surface, 90% porosity, and 50.2% packing rate) were filled into the upper biofilm reactor as biofilm attaching materials and anthracite coal (particle size 1-2 mm) was placed into the lower layer as filter media. Experimental results showed that the CFBR had a capability to accept Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and turbidity fluctuations in the receiving wastewater, and at the condition of aeration time 60 min, dissolved oxygen 2-3 mg/L, organic volumetric loading rates of upper packing 2.4 kg COD/ (m³·d) and initial filtration velocity 5m/h, the average removal efficiencies of COD, ammonia nitrogen and turbidity reached 90.6%, 81.4% and 96.7% respectively, but the treatment process seemed not to be available in phosphorus removal. The average removal efficiency of total phosphorus was 60.1%.