Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research

Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research

Effects of nanobubble aeration in oxygen transfer efficiency and sludge production in wastewater biological treatment

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mehrdad Ahmadi 1
Gholamreza Nabi Bidhendi 2
Ali Torabian 2
Nasser Mehrdadi 2
1 PhD Scholar, Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22102/jaehr.2018.135459.1086
Abstract
Low efficiency of conventional aeration techniques and the excessive production and disposal of sludge are great concerns in biological wastewater treatment systems. The present study aimed to evaluate the active sludge method using batch reactors under continuous operation to determine the efficiency of aeration and sludge production through microbubble and nanobubble aeration. The results indicated that compared to microbubble aeration, nanobubble aeration increased the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the mixed liqueur of the reactor (from 2 to 4.5 mg/l), while reducing the production of excess sludge from 100 to 40 ml/g (SRT: 15-40 d). With the same SRT duration, these values were within the range of 160-70 ml/g using fine-bubble aeration. According to the results, nanobubble aeration could increase the efficiency of aeration, thereby increasing the capacity of the treatment plant and reducing the costs of biological wastewater treatment.
Keywords
Air Nanobubbles
Dissolved Oxygen
Excess Sludge
Biological Wastewater Treatment
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Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research
Volume 6, Issue 4
Autumn 2018
Pages 225-233