Experimental comparison of SBR and IFAS-MBBR systems for nitrogen removal in logistics park wastewater
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36829/08ASA.v20i1.2127Keywords:
special wastewater, nitrification, denitrification, attached biomass, sequencing batch reactor, biological treatmentAbstract
Special wastewater treatment from logistics complexes presented technical challenges due to high nitrogen concentrations and a low carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, conditions that limited conventional biological processes. This study compared a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and a hybrid IFAS-MBBR system (Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge–Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) to evaluate nitrogen removal efficiency. It was determined which configuration showed greater efficiency and operational stability for total nitrogen removal under real low C/N ratio conditions. Both systems were operated at pilot scale using real wastewater collected after pretreatment from a logistics complex, at 20 L/day, and were inoculated with activated sludge from the existing treatment plant; the SBR was configured with a design SRT of 30 days and cyclic aeration, and the IFAS-MBBR with a design SRT of 25 days and intermittent aeration. During the stable phase, 24 sampling events were conducted. The SBR showed higher average total nitrogen removal efficiency (45.5 ± 17%) than the IFAS-MBBR (31.7 ± 20%), with statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05). Under the evaluated conditions, the results suggested that the SBR may be preferable for pilot-scale or small-scale applications with low relative carbon availability. The economic, energy, and environmental scale-up was interpreted as a preliminary conceptual approximation, not as an executive design or direct full-scale validation.
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