Low-cost, reliable, and highly efficient removal of COD and total nitrogen from sewage using a sponge-filled trickling filter
| Title: | Low-cost, reliable, and highly efficient removal of COD and total nitrogen from sewage using a sponge-filled trickling filter |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Navneet Kachhadiya, Upendra D. Patel |
| Source: | Water Science and Technology, Vol 90, Iss 3, Pp 665-679 (2024) |
| Publisher Information: | IWA Publishing, 2024. |
| Publication Year: | 2024 |
| Collection: | LCC:Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering |
| Subject Terms: | co2 emission, low-cost sewage treatment, polyethylene sponge media, polyurethane foam media, total nitrogen removal, trickling filter, Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering, TD1-1066 |
| More Details: | Development of low-cost and reliable reactors demanding minimal supervision is a need-of-the-hour for sewage treatment in rural areas. This study explores the performance of a multi-stage sponge-filled trickling filter (SPTF) for sewage treatment, employing polyethylene (PE) and polyurethane (PU) media. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogen transformation were evaluated at hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) ranging from 2 to 6 m/d using synthetic sewage as influent. At influent COD of ∼350 mg/L, PU-SPTF and PE-SPTF achieved a COD removal of 97% across all HLRs with most of the removal occurring in the first segments. Operation of PE-SPTF at an HLR of 6 m/d caused substantial wash-out of biomass, while PU-SPTF retained biomass and achieved effluent COD < 10 mg/L even at HLR of 8–10 m/d. The maximum Total Nitrogen removal by PE-SPTF and PU-SPTF reactors was 93.56 ± 1.36 and 92.24 ± 0.66%, respectively, at an HLR of 6 m/d. Simultaneous removal of ammonia and nitrate was observed at all the HLRs in the first segment of both SPTFs indicating ANAMMOX activity. COD removal data, media depth, and HLRs were fitted (R2 > 0.99) to a first-order kinetic relationship. For a comparable COD removal, CO2 emission by PU-SPTF was 3.5% of that of an activated sludge system. HIGHLIGHTS A sponge-filled trickling filter (SPTF) system with random packing of sponge media is examined for sewage treatment.; COD removal of 97% was achieved in both PE-SPTF and PU-SPTF at an HLR of 6 m/d and feed COD 350 mg/L.; Total nitrogen removal was 93 and 92% by PE-SPTF and PU-SPTF reactors, respectively.; Energy consumption in SPTF is ∼25 times lower than that in a conventional activated sludge process.; |
| Document Type: | article |
| File Description: | electronic resource |
| Language: | English |
| ISSN: | 0273-1223 1996-9732 |
| Relation: | http://wst.iwaponline.com/content/90/3/665; https://doaj.org/toc/0273-1223; https://doaj.org/toc/1996-9732 |
| DOI: | 10.2166/wst.2024.252 |
| Access URL: | https://doaj.org/article/5cb4293e04a644a0b74d45901deb08eb |
| Accession Number: | edsdoj.5cb4293e04a644a0b74d45901deb08eb |
| Database: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
| ISSN: | 02731223 19969732 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.2166/wst.2024.252 |
| Published in: | Water Science and Technology |
| Language: | English |