A novel bamboo fiber biofilm carrier and its utilization in the upgrade of wastewater treatment plant

A novel biofilm carrier (BFBC) was prepared with bamboo fiber as raw material and its characteristics, including specific surface area, hydrophilicity, and adsorption capacity were investigated. The comparison with conventional combined carrier for the removal of organics, N, and P using bio-contact oxidation reactor (BCOR) was carried out. The application of BCOR filled with BFBC in upgrading the existing activated sludge system of wastewater treatment plant was further studied. The specific surface area of BFBC was 5393 m2/m3, thoroughly saturated with water in 30 min. The BCOR filled with BFBC started up more rapidly than BCOR filled with combined carrier, and the removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand (COD), N, and P were significantly higher in BCOR filled with BFBC than combined carrier during start-up period. Moreover, the BCOR filled with BFBC showed higher resistance to pollutants load impact. Compared with the existing activated sludge system, the BCOR was more efficient in pollutant removal and resistance to load fluctuation, and the effluent COD, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and total nitrogen meet the class IA standard of municipal wastewater treatment plant.