Low-energy treatment of colourant wastes using sponge biofilters for the personal care product industry

• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.12.083
• Publication Date: 2012-12-20T05:49:05Z
• Authors: S.Z. Ahammad; A. Zealand; J. Dolfing; C. Mota; D.V. Armstrong; D.W. Graham
• Keywords: Biofilter; By-product; Sponge

Four trickling biofilter designs were assessed as low-energy alternatives to aerobic activated sludge (AS) for the treatment of personal care product industry wastes. The designs included partially submerged packed-media and sponge reactors with and without active aeration. Partial submergence was used to reduce active aeration needs. Simulated colourant wastes (up to COD=12,480 mg/L, TN=128 mg/L) were treated for 201 days, including wastes with elevated oxidant levels. COD and TN removal efficiencies were always >79% and >30% (even without aeration). However, aerated sponge reactors consistently had the highest removal efficiencies, especially for TN (∼60%), and were most tolerant of elevated oxidants. This study shows sponge biofilters have great potential for treating colourant wastes because they achieve high treatment efficiencies and reduce energy use by >40% relative to AS systems.