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A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
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Boosting nitrification by membrane-attached biofilm.

C Y Wu1, S Ushiwaka, H Horii

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Niigata University 8050, Ikarashi 2, Niigata City 950-2181, Japan.

Water Science and Technology : a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research
|December 14, 2006
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Adding membrane-attached biofilm (MAB) to activated sludge (AS) significantly enhances nitrification, a crucial step in biological nitrogen removal. This MAB-enhanced AS process achieves high nitrification efficiency while maintaining excellent organic carbon removal.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Microbiology
  • Wastewater Treatment

Background:

  • Nitrification is essential for biological nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment.
  • Conventional activated sludge (AS) processes often show limited nitrification efficiency.
  • Enhancing nitrification is key to improving overall nitrogen removal performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of incorporating membrane-attached biofilm (MAB) into an activated sludge (AS) process on simultaneous organic carbon removal and nitrification.
  • To evaluate the performance of the MAB-incorporated activated sludge (AS + MAB) process for continuous wastewater treatment.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study was conducted between a conventional activated sludge (AS) process and an MAB-incorporated activated sludge (AS + MAB) process.
  • Continuous wastewater treatment was performed to assess organic carbon removal and nitrification efficiencies.
  • Microfaunal populations were analyzed to understand process differences.

Main Results:

  • Both AS and AS + MAB processes demonstrated high total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency (>95%).
  • The AS process showed minimal nitrification, while the AS + MAB process achieved approximately 90% nitrification efficiency.
  • Volumetric and surface nitrification rates in the AS + MAB process were 0.14 g/Ld and 6.5 g/m2d, respectively.
  • Significant differences in microfaunal populations were observed, with a higher concentration of rotifers in the AS + MAB process.

Conclusions:

  • Membrane-attached biofilm (MAB) effectively boosts nitrification in conventional activated sludge (AS) processes.
  • The AS + MAB process offers a viable solution for enhancing biological nitrogen removal.
  • The observed shift in microfauna, particularly increased rotifers, may contribute to reduced excess sludge production.