Development and Scale-Up of an Aerobic Biofilm Air-Lift Suspension Reactor

Abstract

A new aerobic treatment concept for the aerobic oxidation of COD, ammonia and sulphide has been developed. The concept is based on the formation of biofilms on small suspended particles in an air-lift reactor. This reactor concept enables to combine a low sludge loading with a high volumetric loading. This makes the reactor especially useful for e.g. nitrification processes. It is also feasible to operate under conditions of marginal sludge production. In this article the scale up aspects of such a process are discussed.