Performance of a hybrid anaerobic-contact oxidation biofilm baffled reactor for the treatment of decentralized molasses wastewater

A novel hybrid anaerobic-contact oxidation biofilm baffled reactor (HAOBR) was developed to simultaneously remove nitrogenous and carbonaceous organic pollutants from decentralized molasses wastewater in the study. The study was based on the inoculation of anaerobic granule sludge in anaerobic compartments and the installation of combination filler in aerobic compartments. The performance of reactor system was studied regarding the hydraulic retention time (HRT), microbial characteristics and the gas water ratio (GWR). When the HRT was 24h and the GWR was 20:1, total ammonia and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the effluent were reduced by 99% and 91.8%, respectively. The reactor performed stably for treating decentralized molasses wastewater. The good performance of the reactor can be attributed to the high resistance of COD and hydraulic shock loads. In addition, the high solid retention time of contact oxidation biofilm contributed to stable performance of the reactor.