Performance of Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) under Different Hydraulic Loading Rates and Rotational Speeds on Ammonia Removal in a Recirculating System

Air-drived rotating biological contactor (RBC) system, which is effective method in filtering performance, was tested for the nitrification capacity in a recirculating system. At ammonia concentrations between 0.029 and 0.528 mg/l, the effect of ammonia loading rate on ammonia removal rate at three different hydraulic loading rates could be defined by the following first­order regression models: Hydraulic loading rate of $14.8 m^3/m^3/day:\;y=39.2\times+3.4 (r^2=0.9137)$, Hydraulic loading rate of $26.5 m^3/m^3/day: y=53.3\times+4.0 (r^2=0.8686)$, Hydraulic loading rate of $37.3 m^3/m^3/day: y=58.4\times+4.2 (r^2=0.7755)$, where, $\times$ is ammonia loading rate (mg/l), y is ammonia removal rate $(g/m^3/day)$, The equations showed the optimal ammonia removal rate at the hydraulic loading rate of $26.5m^3/m^3/day$. Below the ammonia concentration of 2.72 mg/l, first-order regression models between ammonia loading rate and ammonia removal rate at three different rates of speed are defined as follows: Rotational speed of $0.75 rpm: y=28.5\times+4.7 (r^2=0.9143)$, Rotational speed of $1.0 rpm: y=33.6\times+8.4 (r^2=0.9534)$, Rotational speed of $2.0 rpm: y=28.9\times+3.6 (r^2=0.9488)$, where, x is ammonia loading rate (mg/l), y is ammonia removal rate $(g/m^3day)$. The equations show the ammonia removal rate at the rotational speed of 1.0 rpm is significantly higher than that at the rotational speed of either 0.75 rpm or 2.0 rpm (P<0.05).