Study of Nitrification and Denitrification in the High Ammonia and COD Load of Industrial Wastewater using an Ultracompacted Biofilm Reactor-Moving Bed System

Removing nitrogen, one of the most common and abundant pollutants of surface and ground water, is very important. For this purpose, biological nitrification and denitrification as the most economical method should be considered. The feasibility of high load COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) (800-2000 mg/lit) and NH4 (250-1000mg/lit) industrial wastewater treatment, at different Hydraulic Retention Times (HRTs), was studied in 9-lit anaerobic-aerobic systems in the post-denitrification mode. The Ultracompacted Biofilm Reactor (UCBR) is a new system, with all the advantages of activated sludge and fluidized fixed bed processes, without the disadvantages of each system, so that the biofilm production takes place on the packings, moving along the height of the reactor. From the experiments carried out using this system, it can be said that higher ammonia removals take place at higher ammonia and lower organic loads. Denitrification increases at higher nitrification rates because of the effect increasing of NO3- entering to anaerobic reactor. Despite the fact that nitrifying bacteria are more sensitive than COD and NO3 - for removing bacteria, after toxic shock by phenol as an organic source, the nitrification rate increases and COD removal decreases according to the damaging effect of phenol on COD-removing bacteria. Total COD removal during the study varied between 70-98%, this value changing between 50- 90% for ammonia and 55-90% for nitrate.