Rotating Biological Contactors submerged in activated sludge

[4836]

Guys,
I am looking for anybody who had design or operation experience with RBC submerged in activated sludge. It is quite new system, met in Germany and US.
Would you be able to share with your opinion? Is it a good system to treat wastewater with high BOD load fluctuations?

thanks

Beata

 

[bimr]

The mass of mixed liquor in the RBC process is typically less than for the complete mixed activated sludge process. Therefore, the RBC process does not respond as well to fluctuations in the influent waste loading.

 

[waterexpert]

Some think that the attached growth on the discs is more resistant to short-lived shock loadings.

Seán

http://www.seanmoran.co.uk

 

[bimr]

One advantage which has long been claimed for attached growth type filters is an ability to survive shock loadings. It is not because the microorganisms are more hardy. It is because of the relatively short retention time of the wastewater in the treatment unit or because only organisms on the surface may be killed. If the shock load is of long duration, then the attached growth filters will be severely affected and this has been shown in studies. The effluent quality will decline as the shock load passes through an attached growth filters.

The resistance to shock loadings is not a general characteristic although it may be possible in some situations. This operating characteristic is not really something that can be beneficially used either. Because the microorganisms grow attached to a fixed surface, there is little that can be done to alter their mass in response to environmental changes and so there is no effective way of controlling the effluent quality.