Aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor treating thermomechanical pulping whitewater under thermophilic conditions

The continuously operated laboratory scale Kaldnes moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was used for thermophilic (55°C) aerobic treatment of TMP whitewater. In the MBBR, the biomass is grown on carrier elements that move along with the water in the reactor. Inoculation with mesophilic activated sludge gave 60–65% SCOD removal from the first day onwards. During the 107 days of experiment, the 60–65% SCOD removals were achieved at organic loading rates of 2.5–3.5 kg SCOD m−3 d−1, the highest loading rates applied during the run and HRT of 13–22 h. Carbohydrates, which contributed to 50–60% of the influent SCOD, were removed by 90–95%, while less than 15% of the lignin-like material (30–35% of SCODin) was removed. The sludge yield was 0.23 g VSS g SCODremoved−1. The results show that the aerobic biofilm process can be successfully operated under thermophilic conditions.