Comparison of the performance of moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) and integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) for CNP removal from Faraman industrial estate wastewater

Asadi, Azar; Fuzi, Ali

doi:10.22112/jwwse.2025.511958.1448

Comparison of the performance of moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) and integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) for CNP removal from Faraman industrial estate wastewater

Articles in Press

Authors

Azar Asadi ¹

Ali Fuzi ²

¹ Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Gas and Petroleum, Yasouj University, Gachsaran 75918-74831, Iran.

² 2. Undergraduate Student, Department of applied chemistry, Faculty of Gas and Petroleum, Yasouj University, Gachsaran 75918-74831, Iran.

10.22112/jwwse.2025.511958.1448

Abstract

Since wastewater treatment is a primary and vital goal for environmental protection, this study compares the wastewater treatment of Faraman industrial parks located in Kermanshah province in two bioreactors operated under identical conditions. The bioreactors studied include a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) and an integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) reactor. The performance of these two systems was compared by examining three operational parameters, including hydraulic retention time (HRT), aeration flow rate (AFR), and filling ratio (FR), for the removal of carbon and nitrogen content from the wastewater. Using Design Expert 20 software, various experimental conditions were designed, and seven responses were studied, including the population of microorganisms attached to the carriers, carbon content removal, effluent turbidity, and nitrogen removal, which itself includes nitrite and nitrate removal. According to the results obtained, although the growth of attached microorganisms was higher in the MBBR system, the IFAS system demonstrated a higher ability to remove carbon and nitrogen content under all operating conditions. Also, the turbidity of the IFAS system was reported to be lower than that of the MBBR. In fact, the results obtained indicate the positive effect of integrating suspended and attached microorganisms on the treatment efficiency of biological systems.

Keywords

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor

Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge

Industrial wastewater

Hydraulic Retention Time

Air Flow Rate