Nitrogen removal using a vertically moving biofilm system.

The aim of this laboratory study was to establish the efficacy of a new experimental biofilm system for the removal of nitrogen from synthetic wastewater. The system consisted of six reactors in series: one anaerobic, one anoxic and four aerobic reactors. In both the anaerobic and anoxic reactors, a plastic cuboid module was repeatedly moved up and down in the wastewater, while being totally submerged at all times. In each of the aerobic reactors, an identical module to that used in the anaerobic and anoxic reactors was intermittently and repeatedly immersed in and lifted out of the wastewater. All the individual reactors had a bulk fluid volume of 28.2 litres and the average temperature of the wastewater was about 10 degrees C. Each module consisted of crossflow corrugated plastic sheets with a surface area of 1.824 m2. The nitrate recycle flow from the fourth aerobic tank to the anoxic tank was twice the inflow to that tank. In the anoxic reactor, filtered COD was removed at an average rate of 2.22 kg COD/m3 x d and nitrate-nitrogen was denitrified at a rate of 0.42 kg NO3-N/m3 x d. The average nitrification rate in the second aerobic reactor was 0.12 kg NH4-N/m3 x d. The new biofilm system was simple to construct and operate.