Removal of effluent organic matter with biofiltration for potable reuse: A review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) 2021-07, Vol.199, p.117180-117180, Article 117180
• Main Authors: Peterson, Eric S., Summers, R. Scott
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: BDOC; Biological activated carbon; Empty bed contact time; Ozone; Total organic carbon
• ISSN: 0043-1354; 1879-2448
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117180

•Ozonated effluent organic matter is typically 50% to 80% biodegradable.•GAC biofilters often require 20,000+ bed volumes treated to reach steady state BAC.•BAC media, long contact times and higher ozone doses increase biofilter TOC removal.•Reuse biofilter TOC removal, up to 39%, was modeled with operating parameters. Biofiltration, historically used for biodegradable organic matter (BOM) removal in drinking water treatment, is being increasingly applied for potable reuse which requires unique characterization. This review and meta-analysis evaluates BOM occurrence as part of bulk wastewater effluent organic matter (EfOM), quantifies the roles of operational parameters to achieve EfOM removal in biofilters, and identifies research gaps which may be fruitful for understanding reuse biofilter performance. Literature data (n = 76) indicates EfOM has a high biodegradable fraction (median 26%), which after typical ozone doses is higher (57%). A biofiltration performance dataset (n = 160 across 42 WWTP effluents) shows that EfOM removal of 35–40% can be expected when design parameters are optimized. Specifically, higher EfOM removal is achieved by adding pre-ozonation and use of biological activated carbon (BAC) media, with comparatively smaller impacts of increasing ozone dose or increasing empty bed contact time under typical scenarios. Combined, these factors strongly correlate with observed EfOM removal (r2 = 0.64) after accounting for confounding by adsorptive removal in BAC media with fewer than 20,000 bed volumes treated. Future research that quantifies the occurrence of BOM, biomass activity on filter media, steady-state removal by BAC, and impacts of longer empty bed contact times in potable reuse scenarios could impact optimization strategies to meet or exceed biofilter performance observed to date. [Display omitted]