Removal of organic and nitrogen in a novel anoxic fixed-bed / aerobic fluidized-moving bed integrated with a constructed wetland bio-reactor (A/O-FMCW)

Abstract

An innovative hybrid process was designed using an integrated bio-reactor based on an anoxic / aerobic process that combined a fixed bed and a fluidized-moving bed with a constructed wetland (A/OFMCW) to enhance the removal of organic material and nitrogen. The goal was to achieve stringent discharge standards for rural domestic wastewater treatment. A preliminary lab-scale investigation of about 130 days obtained an average COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) removal rate as high as 92.2% at an average influent concentration of 319.5 mg/L. The average TN (Total Nitrogen) removal efficiency positively correlated with the attached-growth biofilm as observed by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), and declined from 79.1% to 53.2%. The was accompanied by a gradual increase in the average influent concentration from 16.73 to 52.01 mg/L despite the relative nitrification rate fluctuating between 92.5% and 97.9%. The entire integrated system improved the COD removal efficiency by nearly 36% and the TN by 14–28%. Classical autotrophic nitrification and heterotrophic denitrification were the main mechanisms responsible for the elimination of pollutants, and the latter was determined to be the limiting step. Overall, this study provides an effective and less expensive alternative method to apply or upgrade DWWT (Decentralized Wastewater Treatment).