Non-woven fabric filter separation activated sludge reactor for domestic wastewater reclamation

• Published in: Water science and technology 2003, Vol.47 (1), p.133-138
• Main Authors: SEO, G. T, MOON, B. H, LEE, T. S, LIM, T. J, KIM, I. S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated sludge; Activated Sludge Process; Applied sciences; Backwash; Biological and medical sciences; Biological treatment of waters; Biotechnology; Carbon/nitrogen ratio; Conservation of Natural Resources; Domestic wastewater; Effluents; Environment and pollution; Exact sciences and technology; Fabrics; Filtration; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gravitation; Gravity; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Influents; Manufactured Materials; Nitrogen removal; Nonwoven fabrics; Other wastewaters; Phosphorus; Phosphorus removal; Pollution; Polypropylene; Polypropylenes; Raw wastewater; Reactors; Reclamation; Removal; Separation; Sludge; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Wastewater; Wastewater renovation; Wastewater treatment; Wastewaters; Water Movements; Water purification; Water Purification - methods; Water reclamation; Water treatment and pollution; Water treatment plants
• ISSN: 0273-1223; 1996-9732
• DOI: 10.2166/wst.2003.0035

A non-woven fabric filter was experimentally evaluated for solid-liquid separation in an activated sludge reactor as an alternative membrane. A polypropylene fabric filter (70, 50 and 35 g/m2) was used for the experiment. The pilot system was operated in A/O (Anaerobic/Oxic) type in which the filter module was submerged into the oxic compartment. The filtration module consists of 10 plate type rectangular filter elements with effective filtration area, 2 m2. Gravity filtration was carried out for solid-liquid separation by changing the water head 0.05-0.5 m without backwashing during the system operation. Initial permeate flux was set at 0.4 m/d. C/N ratio of raw wastewater was controlled at 4.5 in terms of BOD/T-N. The fabric filter system showed a good performance enough for domestic wastewater treatment. Effluent solid concentration was 3.2 mg/L (93.5% removal). COD removal efficiency was 91.6% producing an effluent concentration around 13 mg/L. 66% of total nitrogen removal could be obtained at the adjusted C/N ratio of influent wastewater. However phosphorus removal was very low at 23%. It was found that the initial flux of 0.4 m/d should be maintained for stable performance of the system.