Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor for textile wastewater treatment
Adriana Maria Lotito1, Claudio Di Iaconi, Umberto Fratino
1Department of Water Engineering and Chemistry, Politecnico di Bari, via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy. adriana.lotito@libero.it
Sequencing batch biofilter granular reactors (SBBGR) offer an effective on-site treatment for textile wastewater. This technology successfully treats mixed municipal-textile effluents and can serve as a pre-treatment for textile wastewater, reducing costs.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Wastewater Treatment Technologies
- Industrial Biotechnology
Background:
- Textile wastewater contains recalcitrant, toxic pollutants, necessitating complex treatment schemes.
- Current practices involve centralized treatment plants, increasing costs and logistical challenges.
- On-site treatment technologies are sought to optimize cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor (SBBGR) for treating textile wastewater.
- To assess SBBGR's performance on both mixed municipal-textile wastewater and pure textile effluent.
- To determine the economic viability of SBBGR for on-site wastewater treatment.
Main Methods:
- Operation of two lab-scale sequencing batch biofilter granular reactors (SBBGR).
- Treatment of mixed municipal-textile wastewater in one reactor.
- Treatment of pure textile effluent in a second reactor.
Main Results:
- Successful treatment of mixed wastewater with hydraulic retention times under 10 hours.
- SBBGR demonstrated effectiveness as a pre-treatment for textile wastewater discharge.
- Operative costs were found to be €0.10/m³ for mixed wastewater and €0.19/m³ for textile wastewater.
Conclusions:
- SBBGR is a promising technology for on-site treatment of textile wastewater.
- The reactor system offers significant cost reductions compared to traditional methods.
- SBBGR facilitates effective pre-treatment, enabling safer discharge of textile effluents.
Related Concept Videos
Biological Treatment of Effluent and Waste Water
Bioreactor Design and Operational System
Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Bioreactor Controls-II
Upstream Processing
Batch vs Continuous Culture

