Sl. Zhang et Pm. Huck, REMOVAL OF AOC IN BIOLOGICAL WATER-TREATMENT PROCESSES - A KINETIC MODELING APPROACH, Water research, 30(5), 1996, pp. 1195-1207
In this paper, a steady-state biofilm model is applied for modeling su
bstrate removal by plug-flow bioreactors in biological water treatment
. The model is used with assimilable organic carbon (AOC) data from a
previous pilot scale study to estimate the essential physical and kine
tic parameters required for designing biological water treatment proce
sses. The successful fitting of the model to the data demonstrates the
applicability of this modeling approach for water treatment and that
AOC can be used as at least a surrogate for the overall biodegradable
organic matter. The model is used to obtain process insights. It is sh
own that there is an approximately linear relationship between substra
te removal and influent concentration. For a plug-flow packed bed bior
eactor, a quantity designated as the dimensionless empty bed contact t
ime, X, is defined. The slope of the linear relationship, representin
g the approximate percentage removal of the substrate, is shown to be
mainly determined by X. Percentage removal increases convexly with in
creasing X, however beyond a certain value of X*, further increases a
chieve little improvement. Other dimensionless parameters affect the c
onvexity of the curve. Copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Scienc
e Ltd.