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Biofiltration Process for Treatment of Water and Wastewater

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Abstract

The biofiltration process offers significant potential for the removal of trace organics from water and wastewater. Biofiltration involves pollutant removal through physical separation, adsorption on the filter media, and through biodegradation and biotransformation by microbes forming a biofilm on the filter media. This review highlights the effectiveness of biofiltration for water treatment and for tertiary treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater. Treatment of water through biofiltration promotes the removal of assimilable organic carbon, micropollutants, and disinfection by products. During water treatment, biofiltration can be used as a stand-alone treatment or after an initial ozonation step. Incorporation of biofiltration prevents development of biofilms in the drinking water distribution system and also prevents biofouling in downstream membrane processes. Various factors that affect the performance of biofiltration process, i.e., filter media, empty bed contact time, filter backwash, ozonation, influent characteristics and temperature are discussed in this review. The application of biofiltration in wastewater treatment is also discussed.

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Correspondence to Suparna Mukherji.

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Sinha, P., Mukherji, S. Biofiltration Process for Treatment of Water and Wastewater. Trans Indian Natl. Acad. Eng. 7, 1069–1091 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41403-022-00360-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41403-022-00360-0

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