Experimental and Empirical Investigation of Commercial and Local Biocarriers in Moving Bed Bioreactor for Treating Low-Strength Domestic Wastewater
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Abstract
The study aimed to optimise the operation conditions of the moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) for treating low-strength domestic wastewater using a commercial product, polyvinyl alcohol gel (PVA gel), and a local carrier, coir coconut fibre (CCF). A response surface design (RSD) was used to evaluate the interaction of two independent variables—biocarrier media ratio (%v/v) (10-30%) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) (60-300 min)—for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). The experiment was conducted in a lab-scale reactor capable of carrying 10 L of a wastewater sample, similar to a bubble column reactor. Further, analysis of variance demonstrated a high regression of determination and the significant effect of each variable. Based on the optimisation process using the RSD, the maximum COD removal efficiency was achieved at 300 min of HRT with 30% PVA gel (>70% removal efficiency) and 25% of CCF biocarriers (>50% removal efficiency). Moreover, the maximum removal efficiencies of TN (42-53%) and TP (38-42%) were found at a 30% media ratio with 300 min of HRT for both the biocarriers. Finally, mathematical correlations for both the biocarrier types were also determined for future estimation. These results and models are significant findings for the design criteria of the biofilm media applied in the MBBR or the activated sludge process for wastewater treatment.
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