Impact of sorption functional media (SFM) from zeolite tailings on the removal of ammonia nitrogen in a biological aerated filter

Haydite and sorption functional media (SFM), made of clinoptilolite tailings, were used as filter media for biological aerated filter (BAF) to treat synthetic wastewater in parallel. The aim of this work was to evaluate impact of SFM on the removal of ammonia nitrogen in a biological aerated filter reactor under ammonium nitrogen shock loads. It could be demonstrated that: (1) the BAF with SFM presented higher ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency than that with haydite; (2) during the phase of higher influent concentrations SFMs were collecting ammonia nitrogen and can buffer ammonia nitrogen loads and dampen the effluent concentration of ammonia nitrogen; (3) when the influent concentration decreases ammonia nitrogen will desorb from the SFM and can be utilized by the nitrifying bacteria growing on the SFM. Therefore, with the SFM application existing BAF unites can be upgraded and the stability of the operation process of BAF can be improved significantly.