Removal of Organic Compounds from Municipal Wastewater by Immobilized Biomass

Two porous ceramic carriers (internal active surface 0.04 m2 for carrier I and 0.2 m2 for carrier II) with immobilized activated sludge were the stationary filling of the reactors. Municipal wastewater was treated at hydraulic retention time (HRT) from 70 to 15 min. The efficiency of organic compounds removal from wastewater changed for reactor I from 85.2 to 93.8%, for reactor II from 62.9 to 87.1%. The contribution of oxidation, biomass synthesis, denitrification and intracellular storage in organic compounds removal depended on the type of carrier and on hydraulic retention time (HRT). Over 20% of organic loading in influent to reactors I and II was used for cellular oxidation. Only for reactor I at HRT 30 and 15 min higher participation of nitrate respiration than oxygen was one observed. From 6.1 to 14.5% of loading in influent was removed as a result of sludge yield. For reactor I the high contribution of intracellular storage in organic compounds removal from wastewater was observed.