Hybrid biofilm wastewater treatment technology: Optimization and microbial analyses

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Municipal wastewaters are the largest volumetric source of pollution entering into Canadian surface waters. As such, municipalities across Canada are required to meet strict wastewater discharge regulations at the provincial and federal level to reduce the impact on the environment. The Biostyr®Duo is a novel hybrid attached growth wastewater treatment technology that has been recently developed by Veolia Water Technologies Canada Inc. (Veolia Water). This technology combines specific advantages of the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) and biological aerated filter (BAF) technologies into a single hybrid system. The Biostyr®Duo technology has the potential to increase the carbon and nitrogen loading of the system, to reduce the energy usage of the system and reduce the land footprint of the system as compared to conventional BAF technologies. This study will be the first full-scale investigation of an MBBR and BAF hybrid technology for wastewater treatment in the world. The study will be performed on a full-scale, Biostyr®Duo, demonstration cell at the newly upgraded Cornwall, ON wastewater treatment plant; with the Biostyr®Duo cell being operated in parallel to conventional BAF cells that comprise the secondary treatment system of the facility. The objective of this research is to investigate and optimize the carbon and ammonia removal kinetics and solids removal performance of the MBBR and BAF hybrid technology and to also develop a fundamental understanding of attached growth microbial characteristics of hybrid biofilm technologies. The proposed research moves beyond kinetic testing of the novel Biostyr®Duo and will present new knowledge regarding the effects of seasonal temperatures, snow melt conditions, influent inconsistencies, velocity rise rate along with carbon and nitrogen loading on biofilm and biomass of the hybrid system. The new knowledge acquired in this study will guide the optimal design of a promising new and economic technology that will ultimately reduce the risk of pollutants to the environment, to fishery resources, and to human health by decreasing the level of harmful deleterious substances discharged from WWTP effluent into Canadian waters. The project will also help to train HQP in an important area that will be in high demand in the near future.