Process Development for Effective Denitrification by Biofilter Using Loess Ball

In order to investigate factors affecting the denitrification in the F-STEP PROCESS using a loess ball as support media and Pseudomonas DWC 17-8, calcining temperature, loess ball size, pH, nitrate concentration, working temperature, and inhibitor were studied in batch mode using synthetic sludge. A 5- 10 mm of loess ball (960$^{circ}$ of calcining temperature) was the most suitable for denitrification. When the initial pH was increased from 3.0 to 7.0, the removal efficiency of nitrate was increased. Specifically, at initial pH of 7.0, the maximum removal efficiency of nitrate was 5.0 mg/min. When the initial concentration of nitrate was increased from 100 to 400 mg/l, the removal efficiency of nitrate was proportional to the concentration of nitrate. The maximum removal efficiency of nitrate was 5.72 mg/min at 400 mg/l of initial concentration. When the operating temperature was increased from 10 to 30$^{circ}$, the removal efficiency of nitrate was increased from 0.76 to 6.15 mg/min, and at above 40$^{circ}$ of operating temperature, it was decreased from 4.0 to 2.0 mg/min. Among the various inhibitors, higher than 10$^{-1}$ M of sodium azide abolished this reaction completely. When the KCN concentration was above 10$^{-1}$ M, the reaction was inhibited completely. In the case of 2,4-dinitrophenol and sodium sulphide, it was inhibited at above 10$^{-2}$ M completely. For testing the various flow orders of the F-STEP PROCESS for effective denitrification using practical wastewater, continuous experiments under the optimum conditions were carried out for 60 days. Among the various processes, the PROCESS A gave the highest efficiencies of denitrification, nitrification, and total nitrogen (TN) removal with 86.5, 89.5, and $90\%$, respectively. For scale-up in the PROCESS A, real farm wastewater was used and pilot tests carried out for 90 days. The denitrification efficiency was $97.5\%$, which was increased by $12.7\%$. The efficiencies of TN removal and nitrification were 96.6 and $70.0\%$, respectively. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was $63.7\%$, which was increased by $20\%$.