Effect of Operating Parameters and Energy Expenditure on the Biological Performance of Rotating Biological Contactor for Wastewater Treatment

Muhammad Irfan, Sharjeel Waqas, Javed Akbar Khan, Saifur Rahman, Izabela Kruszelnicka, Dobrochna Ginter-Kramarczyk, Stanislaw Legutko, Marek Ochowiak, Sylwia Włodarczak and Krystian Czernek
Additional contact information
Muhammad Irfan: Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Najran University Saudi Arabia, Najran 11001, Saudi Arabia
Sharjeel Waqas: Chemical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, Malaysia
Javed Akbar Khan: Mechanical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, Malaysia
Saifur Rahman: Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Najran University Saudi Arabia, Najran 11001, Saudi Arabia
Izabela Kruszelnicka: Department of Water Supply and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Dobrochna Ginter-Kramarczyk: Department of Water Supply and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Stanislaw Legutko: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Marek Ochowiak: Department of Chemical Engineering and Equipment, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Sylwia Włodarczak: Department of Chemical Engineering and Equipment, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Krystian Czernek: Department of Process and Environmental Engineering, Opole University of Technology, 45-271 Opole, Poland

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: The rotating biological contactor (RBC) is resistant to toxic chemical and shock loadings, and this results in significant organic and nutrient removal efficiencies. The RBC system offers a low-energy footprint and saves up to 90% in energy costs. Due to the system’s low-energy demand, it is easily operable with renewable energy sources, either solar or wind power. An RBC was employed to degrade pollutants in domestic wastewater through biodegradation mechanisms in this study. The high microbial population in the RBC bioreactor produced excellent biological treatment capacity and higher effluent quality. The results showed that the RBC bioreactor achieved an average removal efficiency of 73.9% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 38.3% of total nitrogen (TN), 95.6% of ammonium, and 78.9% of turbidity. Investigation of operational parameters, disk rotational speed, HRT, and SRT, showed the biological performance impact. Disk rotational speed showed uniform effluent quality at 30–40 rpm, while higher values of disk rotational speed (>40 rpm) resulted in lower effluent quality in COD, TN, and turbidity. The longer hydraulic retention time and sludge retention time (SRT) facilitated higher biological performance efficiency. The longer SRTs enabled the higher TN removal efficiency because of the higher quantity of microbial biomass retention. The longer SRT also resulted in efficient sludge-settling properties and reduced volume of sludge production. The energy evaluation of the RBC bioreactor showed that it consumed only 0.14 kWh/m 3 , which is significantly lower than the conventional treatment methods; therefore, it is easily operable with renewable energy sources. The RBC is promising substitute for traditional suspended growth processes as higher microbial activity, lower operational and maintenance costs, and lower carbon foot print enhanced the biological performance, which aligns with the stipulations of ecological evolution and environment-friendly treatment.

Keywords: wastewater treatment; biological process; aerobic process; attached growth; biofilm; rotating biological contactor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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