The use of moving bed bio-reactor to laundry wastewater treatment

¹ West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, al. Piastów 50, 70-311 Szczecin, Poland
² West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Institute of Chemical and Environment Engineering, ul. Pułaskiego 10, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland

^* Corresponding author: slawomira.bering@zut.edu.pl

Abstract

Large laboratory scale biological treatment test of industrial real wastewater, generated in industrial big laundry, has been conducted in the period of May 2016–August 2016. The research aimed at selection of laundry wastewater treatment technology included tests of two-stage Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR), with two reactors filled with carriers Kaldnes K5 (specific area – 800 m²/m³), have been realized in aerobic condition. Operating on site, in the laundry, reactors have been fed real wastewater from laundry retention tank. To the laundry wastewater, contained mainly surfactants and impurities originating from washed fabrics, a solution of urea to supplement nitrogen content and a solution of acid to correct pH have been added. Daily flow of raw wastewater Qd was equal to 0.6–0.8 m³/d. The values of determined wastewater quality indicators showed that substantial decrease of pollutants content have been reached: BOD₅ by 94.7–98.1%, COD by 86.9–93.5%, the sum of anionic and nonionic surfactants by 98.7–99.8%. The quality of the purified wastewater, after star-up period, meets the legal requirements regarding the standards for wastewater discharged to the environment.