Investigation of Mobile Organic Biofilm as a Process Intensification Option for the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility
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Authors
Tung, Nura
Issue Date
2025
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The removal of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus species from municipal wastewater is essential to protect human and environmental health, preventing eutrophication and meeting stringent discharge regulations following treatment. This study investigated the use of kenaf granule-based biofilm systems as a sustainable and biodegradable alternative for enhancing simultaneous removal of ammonia, nitrite/nitrate, and phosphate in activated sludge systems. Kenaf is a high surface area media that is used in an activated sludge intensification configuration developed by Nuvoda, a wastewater biotechnology and engineering firm, being considered for potential use at the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility. Over the course of this study, multiple sets of laboratory-scale bioreactors were operated under controlled conditions to evaluate the granules’ effectiveness in supporting biofilm formation, promoting nutrient transformation processes, and achieving stable treatment performance. Nutrient removal analysis showed that reactors containing kenaf granules achieved an initial specific rate of 0.083 to 0.13 mg-N/mg-VSS/day of ammonia removal; 0.117 to 0.13 mg-N/mg-VSS/day of nitrate/nitrite production; 0.076 to 0.15 mg-P/mg-VSS/day of phosphate release; and 0.024 to 0.58 mg-P/mg- VSS/day of phosphate uptake. The reactors with kenaf granules improved in overall nutrient removal, matching or outperforming conventional systems in the control system that was operated without kenaf. With strong nitrification performance, in- system denitrification was successfully implemented to address the high nitrite/nitrate production. Through DNA sequencing analysis, the presence of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) was confirmed in the sampled kenaf, including Nitrosomonas,Nitrospira, and Dechloromonas. The results highlight the potential of kenaf granules as a low-cost, environmentally friendly media for integrated biological nutrient removal. Further research is recommended to assess system longevity, performance under dynamic loading, and feasibility at full-scale.