I have just started running an MBBR for the treatment of domestic wastewater. I seeded the reactor with a return sludge collected from a wastewater treatment plant. How can I accelerate the development of biofilm on the carriers?
Is this a full scale system, pilot scale or laboratory system?
If you are in small scale and have factory new carriers you can first leave the carriers in a sludge suspension for a few days to initiate biofilm colonisation on the plastic. After that set the wastewater flow very high to allow the heterotrophs to grow up. Then you observe good BOD removal reduce the flow to the intended treatment level.
Thanks Henrik. I'm working with a laboratory scale system (see the attached picture). The system consist of two reactors connected in series (anoxic and aerobic). Do I have to do the same for the anoxic side as the aerobic?
Hi Henrik, do you have any particular reason to set the flow rate very high after waiting couple days instead of gradually increasing it from the very beginning? Which would be faster?
A month is needed at least at normal operating loadings for summer temperatures to achieve a reasonably stable operation. I have seen up to 4 months in some conditions for fixed growth reactors.