Research has shown that utilizing foamed plastic carriers in the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) process can substantially improve wastewater treatment efficiency. The study indicated that biofilm growth was 44 times greater with these carriers than with standard smooth plastic ones.
Effective wastewater treatment is crucial for both environmental protection and enhancing our quality of life. A biological approach using moving plastic carriers covered in biofilm is becoming more popular, and a research team from Osaka Metropolitan University has discovered ways to optimize this method.
The moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) process works by keeping these carriers in motion, which helps increase the interaction between microorganisms in the biofilm and the organic materials and contaminants in the wastewater. The greater the surface area with biofilm on the plastic carriers, the more microorganisms can be utilized to treat the water.
OMU Professor Masayuki Azuma and Associate Professor Yoshihiro Ojima, alongside a team from Kansaikako Co., a water treatment products company based in Osaka, found that polypropylene carriers with foamed, textured surfaces provided 44 times more biofilm development compared to smooth plastic carriers.
Additionally, incorporating waste biomass, like composted seaweed during the foaming process, significantly improved the effectiveness of the foamed carriers, particularly for nitrate removal in the MBBR process.
“Considering the diverse nature of wastewater, it’s essential to demonstrate that these foamed carriers perform well across different types of wastewater,” said Professor Azuma. “Our findings clearly indicate that the inclusion of waste biomass enhances carrier performance, suggesting more improvements can be made depending on the additives used.”
The results of this study were published in Environmental Technology & Innovation.
