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A one dimensional moving bed biofilm reactor model for nitrification of municipal wastewaters

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Abstract

This work presents a one-dimensional model of a moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) process designed for the removal of nitrogen from raw wastewaters. A comprehensive experimental strategy was deployed at a semi-industrial pilot-scale plant fed with a municipal wastewater operated at 10–12 °C, and surface loading rates of 1–2 g filtered COD/m2 d and 0.4–0.55 g NH4-N/m2 d. Data were collected on influent/effluent composition, and on measurement of key variables or parameters (biofilm mass and maximal thickness, thickness of the limit liquid layer, maximal nitrification rate, oxygen mass transfer coefficient). Based on time-course variations in these variables, the MBBR model was calibrated at two time-scales and magnitudes of dynamic conditions, i.e., short-term (4 days) calibration under dynamic conditions and long-term (33 days) calibration, and for three types of carriers. A set of parameters suitable for the conditions was proposed, and the calibrated parameter set is able to simulate the time-course change of nitrogen forms in the effluent of the MBBR tanks, under the tested operated conditions. Parameters linked to diffusion had a strong influence on how robustly the model is able to accurately reproduce time-course changes in effluent quality. Then the model was used to optimize the operations of MBBR layout. It was shown that the main optimization track consists of the limitation of the aeration supply without changing the overall performance of the process. Further work would investigate the influence of the hydrodynamic conditions onto the thickness of the limit liquid layer and the “apparent” diffusion coefficient in the biofilm parameters.

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Acknowledgements

This work was carried out with the support of Irstea (France), NSERC (Canada), Vinci Environnement (France) and Grand-Lyon Métropole. The authors thank Loïc Richard, Myriam Arhror, Corinne Brosse, Clément Crétollier, Olivier Garcia and Jean-Marc Perret for providing technical and analytical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IRSTEA, UR MALY, 5 rue de la Doua, BP 32108, 69616, Villeurbanne, France

    Ugo Barry, Jean-Marc Choubert & Jean-Pierre Canler

  2. VINCI Environnement, 89 boulevard Franklin Roosevelt, 92506, Rueil Malmaison Cedex, France

    Olivier Pétrimaux

  3. Irstea, UR HBAN, 1 rue Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, CS 10030, 92761, Antony Cedex, France

    Alain Héduit

  4. Civil and Water Engineering Department, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Laval University, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Paul Lessard

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  1. Ugo Barry
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  2. Jean-Marc Choubert
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  3. Jean-Pierre Canler
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  4. Olivier Pétrimaux
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  5. Alain Héduit
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  6. Paul Lessard
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Correspondence to Jean-Marc Choubert.

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Barry, U., Choubert, JM., Canler, JP. et al. A one dimensional moving bed biofilm reactor model for nitrification of municipal wastewaters. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 40, 1141–1149 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-017-1775-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-017-1775-1

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