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Water Science & Technology Vol 65 No 10 pp 1834–1838 © IWA Publishing 2012 doi:10.2166/wst.2012.847

Comparison between a moving bed bioreactor and a fixed bed bioreactor for biological phosphate removal and denitrification

H. J. Choi, A. H. Lee and S. M. Lee

Department of Environmental Engineering, Kwandong University, Gangnung, Korea E-mail: leesm@kd.ac.kr
Department of Environmental Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea


ABSTRACT

Moving bed bioreactors (MBBR) and fixed bed bioreactors (FBBR) were compared for biological phosphorus removal and denitrification. The sorption denitrification P-elimination (S-DN-P) process was selected for this study. Results indicated that all nutrients were removed by the FBBR process compared with the MBBR process: 19.8% (total COD), 35.5% (filtered COD), 27.6% (BOD5), 62.2% (acetate), 78.5% (PO4-P), and 54.2% (NO3-N) in MBBR; 49.7% (total COD), 54.0% (filtered COD), 63.2% (BOD5), 99.6% (acetate), 98.6% (PO4-P), and 75.9% (NO3-N) in FBBR. The phosphate uptake and NO3-N decomposition in the FBBR process during the denitrification phase were much higher than for the MBBR process despite being of shorter duration. Results obtained from this study are helpful in elucidating the practical implications of using MBBR and FBBR for the removal of bio-P and denitrification from wastewater.

Keywords: denitrification; FBBR; MBBR; phosphate removal; wastewater treatment


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