Performance of Micro-Polluted Source Water Treatment by Biological Aerated Filter with Lava Media

Abstract

The performance of biological aerated filter (BAF) with lava media for the treatment of micro-polluted source water was investigated with the operational temperature 18°C, the PH value 6.29-8.35, hydraulic retention time (HRT) 30 min as well as dissolved oxygen (DO) 2-3mg/L. The results show that the lava media is a pretty carrier that has promising surface characteristics for microorganism growth and biofilm formation. The biofilter could be operated successfully in 18d, that was shorter than the ceramic and zeolite media filter in the same start-up condition. During the steady operation period, the lava media BAF performed a promising treatment performance of permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, and turbidity removal, where as the removal rate were 46%, 97% and 62%, respectively. Moreover, the index of UV254, which partly indicates the concentration of hardly degradable substance in the micro-polluted source water, could be removed 23% in the novel media filter.