Abstract
Activated sludge reactors maintaining an MLSS of 3,000 mg/L and packed Bio Contact Media (BCM fixed beds) was studied in lab-scale to determine the optimal packing ratio and an HRT of aerobic reactor in terms of organic removal, nitrification, denitrification efficiencies. At all HRTs of 3 hr, 5 hr, 7 hr respectively, reactors without BCM, control reactors, had the lowest TCODcr removal efficiency about 74.6%, and reactors with the BCM packing ratios of 10%, 15%, 20% had a greater TCODcr removal efficiency above 81.4%. As HRT decreased, the TCODcr removal efficiency decreased also in all reactors. However, a better utilization of TCODcr even at a higher organic loading was observed in reactors with BCM. The nitrification efficiency at all reactors was greater than 94%, and reactor with 20% packing of BCM had the highest nitrification efficiency at 97.9% while the TKN loading increased at $0.085mgTKN/m^3{\ast}day$ as HRT decreased, In terms of denitrification efficiency, the reactor without BCM ranged from 11.6% to 13.7%, and the reactors with BCM ranged from 28.3% to 63.4% which suggests that the more BCM is packed in the reactors, the higher the denitrification efficiency is achieved. Two parallel $A^2/O$ systems maintaining an MLSS of 3,000 mg/L were operated to investigate the effect of BCM packing ratio of 20% on organic removal, nitrification, denitrification efficiencies. Packing with BCM in system of aerobic reactor affected the SCODcr removal efficiency that increased from 73% to 78%. The nitrification efficiency for both systems with or without BCM was greater than 95%. The denitrification efficiency of systems with BCM and without BCM was 85.8% and 81.8%, respectively which appears that the denitrification efficiency was increased slightly by packing BCM. Compared denitrification efficiency in $A^2/O$ system to previous experimental study with activated sludge reactors operates with the same HRT $A^2/O$ system showed only 29% greater denitrification efficiency. It suggests that $A^2/O$ system with BCM can achieve a similar level of denitrification efficiency when the HRT of anoxic reactor is decreased to some extent.