The document provides an introduction to the Water Research Institute of the National Research Council of Italy (IRSA-CNR). It describes some common issues with conventional wastewater treatment plants, including high sludge production and complicated treatment schemes. It then introduces a new wastewater treatment process called Sequencing Batch Biofilter Granular Reactor (SBBGR) that can simplify treatment, reduce space and sludge production requirements, lower costs, and effectively treat recalcitrant wastewaters through a combination of biological degradation and chemical oxidation. The SBBGR process and how it works are then explained.

1. Un nuovo processo per il trattamento di
acque reflue recalcitranti
A new process for the treatment of
recalcitrant wastewater
Claudio Di Iaconi, Giuseppe Mascolo
CNR – Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque
Via F. de Blasio, 5 - 70132 Bari, Italy
IRAN: la nuova frontiera del Business, Bari (Italy), 10 Ottobre 2016

2.  Founded in 1968
 Member of the Italian National Research Council (CNR), the
largest Research Organization in Italy
 Highly interdisciplinary (engineers, chemists, biologists,
geologists,…)
 +150 Researchers, PostDoc, PhD
 3.5 million € annual turnover (excluding salaries) from
external sources
IRSA – CNR (Water Research Institute - Italy)
A brief introduction about Water Research
Institute of the National Research Council

3. Montelibretti (Rome)
Aquatic Chemistry, Water and
Wastewater Treatment, Water
Resources Management
Bari
Water and Wastewater Treatment
Water Resources Management
Brugherio (Milan)
Pollutant effects, Ecotoxicology,
Ecological classification
IRSA is organized in three branches
(i.e. units or laboratories) located in
Northern, Central and Southern Italy

4. Main
Research
Areas
Water and Wastewater
Treatment
Environmental
Microbiology
and Ecology
Sludge
and solid wastes
management
Water Quality
Aquatic
ecosystems
functioning and
response to
impacts
Contaminants
fate and
effects
Remediation of
polluted
aquifers and
soils
Water Resources
Management
Climate change
impacts on water
resources
availability
River Basin
Management,
irrigation, impacts
from agriculture

5.  High sludge production
 Complicated treatment schemes
COMMON FEATURES OF CONVENTIONAL
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS
 Low effectiveness towards some pollutants
 Low flexibility and robustness
 Unpleasant odour emission

6.  In comparison with the conventional treatment systems, SBBGR
(technology is able to:
 simplify treatment scheme (in a single stage occurs the entire
wastewater treatment train);
 reduce area requirement (up to 50%);
 reduce the sludge production (up to 70%);
 reduce the total costs (up to 40%);
 treat biorefractory wastewater by integrating biological
degradation and chemical oxidation
SBBGR
SBBGR
unità tratt. fanghi
SBBGR
SBBGR
unità tratt. fanghi
The new wastewater treatment process: SBBGR
(Sequencing Batch Biofilter Granular Reactor):

7. SBBGR: A LOW FOOT-PRINT SYSTEM
 reduce the surface requirement of the
treatment plant (primary and
secondary units are no longer
required, and sludge treatment unit is
greatly reduced)
 reduce the sludge production;
In comparison with the conventional treatment
systems, SBBGR technology is able to:
 to treat biorefractory wastewater
by integrating biological
degradation and chemical
oxidation;
SBBGR
sludge treat. unit
sec. clarifier unit
prim.treat.unit
The red is showing the area of
the plant that will be saved by
replacing the conventional
biological stage (based on
activated sludge process) with
SBBGR technology.

8. inf.
PA
eff.
PR
EV
BIOMASS
compartment
WASTEWATER
compartment (air)
SBBGR TECHNOLOGY
O2

9. high biomass concentrations
(up to 50 kg/m3)
high sludge age
(higher than 200 d)
no secondary clarifier
granular biomassfractiongranular biomassfraction
attached biomassfractionattached biomassfraction
SBBGR TECHNOLOGY

10. How does SBBGR work?
air (or no air)
recycle
filling
reaction
drawing
eff
EV
inf
cycle
air (or no air)
recycle
filling
reaction
drawing
eff
EV
inf
cycle
air (or no air)
recycle
filling
reaction
drawing
eff
EV
inf
cyclecycle
SBBGR TECHNOLOGY

11. Chemically enhanced SBBGR with ozone

12. Chemically enhanced SBBGR with
ultraviolet (UV) light

13. Chemically enhanced SBBGR

14. Textile wastewater
Tannery wastewater
Landfill leachates
Pharmaceutical wastewater
Applications of the process
before
before
before
before
after
after
after
after