Drinking Water Denitrification in a Fixed Bed Packed Biofilm Reactor

Authors: Turgay PEKDEMİR, Emine Kuru KAÇMAZOĞLU, Bülent KESKİNLER, Ömer Faruk ALGUR

Abstract: In this study the effect of feed solution nitrate content (FNC), which varied between 50 and 200 ppm, and feed solution flow rate (FFR), which was in the range from 25.68 to 535 ml/h, on the nitrate removal performance of an active carbon packed-attached biofilm-fixed bed reactor has been investigated. For this purpose Paracoccus denitrificans NRRL B-3784 was used as denitrifier. As a result of this investigation, it was found that up to 200 ppm FNC the present system is able to produce a drinking water with a nitrate content below 20 ppm. On the other hand, up to FFR = 273 ml h -1 the present system was also able to produce a drinking water with a nitrate content below 20 ppm. But for higher FFR, the nitrate content of the product water exceeded 50 ppm level required by most of the drinking water standards. The results showed that present system could offer an alternative to systems reported in the available related literature.

Keywords: Active carbon, attached growth, biofilm denitrification, fixed bed, Paracoccus denitrificans

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