Optimized design of a novel filter brick in denitrification deep-bed filter

Denitrification deep-bed filter has been widely applied in the field of advanced wastewater treatment, yet its efficient operation is highly dependent on the filter bricks-controlled water and air distribution system. Considering the restrictions of existing bricks such as poor hydraulic properties and large non-working area during backwashing, a cuboid novel filter brick with two internal distribution chambers was designed and its hydraulic behaviors under three conditions (air washing, water and air joint backwashing, water washing) were simulated using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis. Results showed that the uniformity of fluid velocity distribution was better than that of the conventional brick under two hydraulic conditions, especially in water and air joint backwashing process with a 10% promotion of water and air distribution uniformity. Furthermore, a 30-day engineering validation test was also carried out to testify the actual performance of the novel filter brick. Better performance was testified in the filters with novel bricks. The present study showed that the novel filter brick had a better uniformity of water and air distribution and smaller dead zone area than those of the conventional brick, implying a good feasibility of application in denitrification deep-bed filter.