K. Srinivasa Murty and G.V.R. Srinivasa Rao
Abstract
The most harmful component of the wastewater, i.e., the organic content, can generally be removed in biological methods of wastewater treatment. Out of many Bio reactors that are in use to treat wastewater, Fluidized Bed Bio Reactors (FBBR) are widely used keeping their advantages relative to the other types. An attempt has been made in the present work, to study the removal of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) from Municipal and industrial wastewaters using a laboratory scale model of a fluidized bed bioreactor. An experimental setup comprising three acrylic columns was fabricated, with each column with a different bed material. MBBR plastic media, pumice stones and foam pieces of uniform shape and size were selected as the three bed materials for evaluating their performance. An arrangement for sending compressed air is provided at the bottom of the columns. Wastewater samples collected from Municipal waste water treatment plant and Three local industrial units of Visakhapatnam viz., Fishery, Bio diesel, and Food processing industries are used as stock solutions for conducting the study. The experiment is conducted for over 2 to 3 weeks at daily intervals, till the reactor gets stabilized and a maximum and uniform rate of percent removal of BOD and COD are obtained. The experimental data are analyzed and the results are presented in suitable formats. It is observed that Foam Pieces proved to be a good alternative material when compared with that of the commercially available MBBR media.