The applicability of bio-carrier BioChip in Sequencing Batch Reactors

Introduction. All over the world, the microbial biofilm has been regularly applied to modify urban and industrial wastewater treatment facilities that have aeration tanks. Unlike the activated sludge technology, the biofilm contains a substantial number of bacteria because microorganisms get attached to the surface of the material and grow there. The co-authors share their opinion about the BioChip, applied inside SBR, a sequencing batch reactor. This technology contemplates the use of free-floating activated sludge when all water treatment phases are concentrated inside one tank. Materials and methods. To assess the usability of the BioChip inside the SBR reactor, experiments were conducted in an attempt to remove two types of contaminants: organic substances inside the standard model of an SBR reactor, and biogenic elements, in particular, ammonium nitrogen, in the course of developing an anoxic zone in a modified model of the SBR reactor. The per-unit speed of substrate recycling, nitrification and denitrification is determined as a result of the analysis of the quality of wastewater and treated water. Results.The experiment conducted using the laboratory model of the SBR reactor has proven the water treatment efficiency within the range of 80–90 % in terms of organic substances and 75–85 % in terms of ammonium nitrogen. Inside the SBR reactor, that had a BioChip installed, the per-unit denitrification speed inside the reactor reached 0.3 to 0.4 N/kg of sludge/day, for the process of nitrification, the value of speed varies from 0.18 to 0.2 kg N/kg of sludge/day. Per-unit speed values and the nitrogen balance equation inside the SBR reactor suggest the SBR operating mode at the capacity of 1.5–2.5 kg of the biological oxygen demand–TKN/kg of sludge/day. Conclusions. Low costs, smooth transportation and use in combination with the pre-set SBR reactor with a view to intensification of water treatment efficiency are the main strengths of the BioChip. The operation of the SBR reactor in combination with the BioChip and nitrification/denitrification phases requires highly skilled personnel.