Feasibility of a two-stage biological aerated filter for depth processing of electroplating-wastewater

A “two-stage biological aerated filter” (T-SBAF) consisting of two columns in series was developed to treat electroplating-wastewater. Due to the low BOD/CODcr values of electroplating-wastewater, “twice start-up” was employed to reduce the time for adaptation of microorganisms, a process that takes up of 20 days. Under steady-state conditions, the removal of CODcr and NH4+-N increased first and then decreased while the hydraulic loadings increased from 0.75 to 1.5 m3 m−2 h−1. The air/water ratio had the same influence on the removal of CODcr and NH4+-N when increasing from 3:1 to 6:1. When the hydraulic loadings and air/water ratio were 1.20 m3 m−2 h−1 and 4:1, the optimal removal of CODcr, NH4+-N and total-nitrogen (T-N) were 90.13%, 92.51% and 55.46%, respectively. The effluent steadily reached the wastewater reuse standard. Compared to the traditional BAF, the period before backwashing of the T-SBAF could be extended to 10 days, and the recovery time was considerably shortened.