Abstract
The feasibility of utilizing food waste leachate as an external carbon source was tested to enhance biological nutrient removal from an industrial wastewater with an average flow rate of $164,800m^3/d$ and a low carbon/nitrogen ratio of 2.8. A considerable improvement in the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus was observed when a certain amount of the leachate, ranging from 70 to $142m^3/d$, was supplemented to the biological industrial wastewater treatment process. The addition of the leachate led to an increase in the BOD/N ratio (4.5) and the removal efficiency of nutritents from 29.7% to 71.7% for nitrogen and from 34.8% to 65.6% for phosphorus. However, an excessive dose of the leachate that significantly exceeded $120m^3/d$ caused serious operational problems, like oil-layer formation in the grit chamber and scum layer in the primary clarifier. Thus, an supplement of food waste leachate at a dose acceptable to an existing facilities can be a practical and effective means to enhance the nutrient removal from industrial wastewater and to dispose of the food waste leachate.