High Performance PU Based carriers impregnated with activated carbon for microbial immobilization in biological wastewater treatment

1. LEVAPOR – porous, adsorbing carrier for
bioprocess improvement
Dr. Imre Pascik LEVAPOR GmbH
www. levapor.com Leverkusen, Germany

2. About us
• Innovative Organization
• Fixed Film Based Process Solutions
• Complex Effluent, Municipal Wastewater,
Polluted Gas
• CEO Dr. Imre Pascik
• 40 years of experience with Bayer AG,
Environmental Bio Technology Centre,
Leverkusen

3. About us
• Development of innovative processes
• Two Step nitrification of high Ammonia
containing effluents
• Landfill Leachate Treatment
• Bayer Tower Biology (Otto Award)
• Degradation of toxic effluents using
Anaerobic-Aerobic Processes

4. Bio Film Technology
• Biodegradation of pollutants occurs
via teamwork of microorganisms
united
in sludge flocs
• Important result of research :
• Some important, non-flocculating
organisms will be washed out from
bioreactor, resulting reduced plant
efficiency
• Solution: Biofilm technology
• via immobilisation, cell growth on
• solid surfaces, “carriers“ made of
• plastics, sand, glass, etc.
• Target: Synthesis of biocarrier

5. Our REQUESTS on OPTIMAL CARRIER
• PROPERTY EFFECT
•
• 1. Adsorbing capacity - binding toxic pollutants
- fast colonization + bio film
- fast start up at high level
• 2. Porosity, high inner surface - protection of the biofilm
• (high biomass content) - high space-time-yields
• 3. Fast wetting - homogenous fluidisation
• 4. Water binding - mass transport, bioactivity
• 5. Proper fluidisation - lower energy consumption

6. Our Technology
• LEVAPOR Bio Carrier
• First synthesized Bio Carrier
• Porous, Flexible, Durable PU foam
impregnated with surface active pigments like
activated carbon
• Due to variability of foam and pigment type
and their ratios, tailor made carriers can be
produced with varying properties

7. Our Technology

8. Properties
High Adsorbing Surface
• 15 to 50 kg of activated
carbon per m3 of foam
matrix
• PU foam surface area 2500
m2/m3
• 1000-2000 m2/g surface
area of activated carbon
• Extremely high adsorbing
surface
Benefits:
• Reversible Adsorption
• Rapid microbial colonization
and biofilm formation
• Temporary adsorption of
toxic and inhibitory
substances
• Subsequent biodegradation
and thus regeneration of
surface

9. Properties
High Internal Porosity Benefits
• Discrete microbial colonies
and Biofilm growth inside
pores
• Prevention of complete
wash out due to excessive
shear
• Establishment of substrate
and DO gradients enabling
anoxic zones
• Feast-Famine conditions

10. Properties
Hydrophilic Surface
• Polyether based hydrophilic
PU foam
• Fast Wetting and Water
binding
• Lower colonized weight
100-120 kg/m3
Benefits
• Higher microbial affinity
and thus faster colonization
• Better mass transfer and
diffusion coefficients
• Better fluidization and
lower energy consumption

11. Advantages
• Treatment of effluents containing toxic substances
• Short process start up and higher performance compared to
suspended mass based systems (100 to 300%)
• Higher process stability against toxic shock loads and
fluctuations in reactor conditions
• Lower Degree of Filling (12 to 15%)
• Smaller foot print
• Lower energy consumption for fluidization
• Lower sludge production
• Simpler process control

12. Lab Trials
• Biodegradation of toxic 2-
Chloroaniline (2-CA)
• in two parallel discontinuously
operated aerobic lab plants
• In the first 2 hours 2-CA became ca.
65% adsorbed, on LEVAPOR , while
toxicity in the medium dropped .
• Biodegradation of 2-CA in LEVAPOR-
reactor started and completed after
240 hours.
• Quantity of released Cl–
ions
confirmed a quantitative
degradation.
• 2-CA in the reactor without LEVAPOR
has not been degraded.

13. Applications
• Up gradation/expansion of existing plants
• Anaerobic-Aerobic treatment of high strength , slowly
bio degradable pollutants
• Nitrification- de nitrification of effluents containing high
ammonia concentrations
• Biological Treatment of Polluted air/gas (BTF)
• Biofilm reactor MBBR/IFAS for the treatment of
industrial and municipal wastewater
• Treatment of hyper saline effluents containing solvents
• Treatment of land fill leachate and groundwater
containing PAHs.

14. SAPPI,GERMANY
• SAPPI EFFLUENT TREATMENT PLANT:
• South Africa Pulp and Paper Industry, Ehingen, Germany
• Sulfite based pulp and paper industry
• Application of Chlorine for bleaching
• High Concentration of toxic, weakly bio degradable
chloro-organic compounds (AOX-90 mg/lit)
• Strong Stream : COD 45 t/d @ 10 MLD
• Weak Stream : COD 2.45 t/d @ 3.5 MLD

15. SAPPI,GERMANY
Lab scale testing Anaerobic or Aerobic?
• Aerobic treatment with
suspended bio mass
• Only 40-45 % COD
elimination
• Anaerobic-Aerobic
Treatment ?
• Anaerobic reactors using
different bio carriers

16. SAPPI,GERMANY
• 1 :Levapor
• 2: Activated Carbon
• 3: Unmodified PU foam
• 4: Suspended Bio mass

17. Impact of Carriers on Methane Production

18. SAPPI,GERMANY
• Solution :
• Anaerobic Treatment Using Levapor Carriers
• Reactor Size only 15000 m3 instead of 65000m3 with
suspended bio mass
• 1500 m3 of Levapor media
• 66-70% COD removal
• Further 50% of COD removal in Aerobic Treatment
• 50,000 m3 less volume

19. SAPPI,GERMANY
Startup: 1990, only 2 of 3 ANA-reactors were started with LEVAPOR
in order to compare the effect of immobilisation.
After few weeks a toxic shock has stopped the reactor without LEVAPOR
~ 85 % COD- removal , 4 – 6 t/d sludge, 14.000 m³/d biogas

20. SAPPI,GERMANY
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41
susp.biomass
May 90 June 90
immob. biomass
kgCOD/m³ x day

21. Case Studies
• City of NINGAN Wastewater treatment Plant
• Heilongjiang Province , China
• 4,40,000 Population
• Very Cold climate during winter
• Difficulty in maintaining nitrification during
winter
• Stricter Legal discharge limits

22. NINGAN,WWTP
• Solution :
• 3200 m3 of aeration tank
volume
• 480m3 of Levapor Bio
carrier
• 15% Filling
• 20 X 20 X 7 mm size
• 20- 22 MLD flow
• 3.2 -3.8 hours HRT
• Started in October 2010

23. 2013 Performance
Summary
•Wider Fluctuations in
inlet COD (96 - 670
ppm)
•Lower Temperatures
•(5.1 - 21 Degree C)
•Outlet COD (9 - 49.6
mg/lit)
•86.3 % Mean COD
reduction( 61.9 -97.4%)
•285 days COD < 39
mg/lit

24. NH4.N /TN Reduction
• For 182 days NH4.N
reduction >=80%
• Min. NH4.N outlet :0.1
mg/lit

25. Nitrogen Trends

26. NINGAN, CHINA
• 88-90 % COD and 91-93% NH4.N reduction
despite decreasing temperature and shorter
HRTs
• Remarkable process stability against temp,
COD, TKN variations
• Lower level of nitrate confirming
denitrification
• Lower capital and operational cost

27. LEVAPOR: IFAS
• Single Basin Construction
• 12 to 15 % Filling
• Loading Rates 2.5 to 4
Kg.COD/m3.day
• 8-10 mm retention screens
• Lower mixing energy
requirement :
• 2-3 mg/lit Bulk DO
• 4-7 Nm3/m2.hr mixing air
• Up to 35% reactor volume
saving compared to plastic
media

28. How Can We Associate
• Problem analysis for the treatment of high strength
industrial and municipal wastewater treatment
• Define treatment goals and conceptual process
design
• Development of optimal process and parameters
• Manufacturing of high performance tailor made bio
carriers for the application
• Process Start up

29. Thank You !!!!