Removal of Organic Matters
and Nutrients by Using Bio-balls
and Corn Cobs as Bio-film Carrier
in MBBR Technology
Akankshya, Rakesh Roshan Dash, and Siprasthiti Mohanty
Abstract Water is our life’s most significant component. It is used to cook, bathe,
drink, wash, and for various industrial purposes. Due to urbanization, over exploitation and industrialization of water bodies throughout the world lead to degradation
of water quality. Therefore, high water quality is needed, resulting in the need to
develop modern and cost-effective techniques to remove organic matter and nutrients from wastewater. Moving-bed bio-film reactor (MBBR) method is one of those
methods that are used effectively in this situation. The purpose of this research was
to explore the effectiveness of the MBBR method in removing chemical oxygen
demand (COD), nitrate, phosphate from wastewater using bio-balls and corn cobs as
bio-film media. Synthetic wastewater was prepared in laboratory by taking different
concentration of COD, nitrate, and phosphate. By using bio-balls as a bio-film carrier,
the maximum removal efficiency of COD, nitrate, and phosphate was obtained to
be 84%, 95.48%, and 96.93%, respectively, whereas for corn cobs, the maximum
removal efficiency of COD, nitrate, and phosphate was found to be 72.39%, 94.63%,
and 93.7%, respectively. The result obtained from the experiment confirmed that this
process can be effectively used to treat domestic and industrial wastewater containing
different pollutants.
Keywords MBBR · Bio-balls · Corn cobs · Nitrate · Phosphate · COD
1 Introduction
Many types of sewage treatment methods are available. Generally, physio-chemical
and biological treatments are useful to treat wastewater for the removal of organic,
inorganic, and nutrients present in that. The treatment methods are generally classified as component processes and component operations. Unit operation includes
the removal of contaminants by physical services. The main treatments methods
Akankshya · R. R. Dash (B) · S. Mohanty
Department of Civil Engineering, VSS University of Technology, Burla, Burla, Sambalpur,
Odisha, India
e-mail: rrdash@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
C. Bhuiyan et al. (eds.), Water Security and Sustainability,
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering 115,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9805-0_19
227
and Nutrients by Using Bio-balls
and Corn Cobs as Bio-film Carrier
in MBBR Technology
Akankshya, Rakesh Roshan Dash, and Siprasthiti Mohanty
Abstract Water is our life’s most significant component. It is used to cook, bathe,
drink, wash, and for various industrial purposes. Due to urbanization, over exploitation and industrialization of water bodies throughout the world lead to degradation
of water quality. Therefore, high water quality is needed, resulting in the need to
develop modern and cost-effective techniques to remove organic matter and nutrients from wastewater. Moving-bed bio-film reactor (MBBR) method is one of those
methods that are used effectively in this situation. The purpose of this research was
to explore the effectiveness of the MBBR method in removing chemical oxygen
demand (COD), nitrate, phosphate from wastewater using bio-balls and corn cobs as
bio-film media. Synthetic wastewater was prepared in laboratory by taking different
concentration of COD, nitrate, and phosphate. By using bio-balls as a bio-film carrier,
the maximum removal efficiency of COD, nitrate, and phosphate was obtained to
be 84%, 95.48%, and 96.93%, respectively, whereas for corn cobs, the maximum
removal efficiency of COD, nitrate, and phosphate was found to be 72.39%, 94.63%,
and 93.7%, respectively. The result obtained from the experiment confirmed that this
process can be effectively used to treat domestic and industrial wastewater containing
different pollutants.
Keywords MBBR · Bio-balls · Corn cobs · Nitrate · Phosphate · COD
1 Introduction
Many types of sewage treatment methods are available. Generally, physio-chemical
and biological treatments are useful to treat wastewater for the removal of organic,
inorganic, and nutrients present in that. The treatment methods are generally classified as component processes and component operations. Unit operation includes
the removal of contaminants by physical services. The main treatments methods
Akankshya · R. R. Dash (B) · S. Mohanty
Department of Civil Engineering, VSS University of Technology, Burla, Burla, Sambalpur,
Odisha, India
e-mail: rrdash@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
C. Bhuiyan et al. (eds.), Water Security and Sustainability,
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering 115,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9805-0_19
227