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Pilot-scale experiment of down-flow hanging sponge for direct treatment of low-strength municipal wastewater in Bangkok, Thailand

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Abstract

A pilot-scale experiment of a down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor for treatment of low-strength municipal wastewater was conducted over 1 year in Bangkok, Thailand, to establish an appropriate method for treatment under tropical climate conditions. Municipal wastewater with an average BOD of 19 mg/L was fed directly into the DHS reactor. Superior effluent quality (5.1 ± 3.4 mg/L TSS, 21.1 ± 9.0 mg/L COD, 2.8 ± 1.4 mg/L BOD, and 4.1 ± 1.0 mg/L TN) was achieved at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 h under an average temperature of 30 °C. The DHS reactor reached an actual HRT of 19.0 min, indicating good contact efficiency between wastewater and retained sludge. The DHS reactor retained dense sludge at 15.3–26.4 g VSS/L based on the sponge media volume. The sludge activity in terms of specific oxygen uptake rate was good. Excess sludge was produced as 0.051 g TSS/g COD removed (0.11 g TSS/g BOD removed), and a good SVI of 28 mL/g was observed. The sufficient performance was attributed to dense sludge with high activity, regardless of the low-strength wastewater. Overall, the DHS was advantageous owing to its simple operation, lack of operational problems, and low power consumption.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Pracha Sungket and Kiattichai Sungsom at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi for reactor operation and experiment. This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (K113002), Ministry of the Environment, Japan, and the NIES advanced research program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan

    Takashi Onodera, Motoyuki Mizuochi, Tomohiro Okadera, Tsuyoshi Fujita & Kazuaki Syutsubo

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha Uthit Road, Bang Mod, Thung Khru, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand

    Wilasinee Yoochatchaval

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Gifu National College of Technology, 2236-2 Kamimakuwa, Motosu, Gifu, 501-0495, Japan

    Haruhiko Sumino

  4. Department of Drainage and Sewerage, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, City Hall 2, Mitmaitri Road, Dindaeng, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand

    Pathan Banjongproo

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  1. Takashi Onodera
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  2. Wilasinee Yoochatchaval
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  3. Haruhiko Sumino
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  4. Motoyuki Mizuochi
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  5. Tomohiro Okadera
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  6. Tsuyoshi Fujita
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  7. Pathan Banjongproo
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  8. Kazuaki Syutsubo
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Correspondence to Kazuaki Syutsubo.

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Onodera, T., Yoochatchaval, W., Sumino, H. et al. Pilot-scale experiment of down-flow hanging sponge for direct treatment of low-strength municipal wastewater in Bangkok, Thailand. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 37, 2281–2287 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-014-1206-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-014-1206-5

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