Combination of ion exchange system and biological reactors for simultaneous removal of ammonia and organics

A novel process for a simultaneous removal of ammonia and organics was developed on the basis of ion exchange and biological reactions. From batch experiments, it was found out that NH4+ could be removed effectively by combining cation exchange and biological nitrification showing 0.98 mg N/m2∙s of a maximum flux. On the other hand, the removal of NO3− was 3.5 times faster than NH4+ and the maximum flux was calculated to be 3.4 mg N/m2∙s. The systems for NH4+ and NO3− removal were combined for establishing the IEBR process. When the process was operated in a continuous mode, approximately 95.8% of NH4+ was removed showing an average flux of 0.22 mg N/m2·s. The removal efficiency of total nitrogen was calculated as 94.5% whereas that of organics was 99.5%. It was concluded that the IEBR process would be effectively used for a simultaneous removal of NH4+ and organics.