Abstract
BER at different packing ratios of bio-ring media(BRM) was tested to investigate the effect of varying hydraulic retention time (HRT) and current density on the nitrate removal and current efficiency. In the preliminary batch mode experiment of BERs, current density was applied at 2.0 A/$m^2$, 4.0 A/$m^2$, 4.8 A/$m^2$, which correspond to the designation of reactor #1, #2, #3, respectively. The reactor #2 showed a highest nitrate removal rate of 162.0 mg $NO_3{^-}$-N/L/d, and the kinetics of nitrate removal rate was defined as the Zero order reaction. In the primary experiment of BERs, four BERs packed with BRM were operated in varying HRT and current, and the packing ratios of reactor #1, #2, #3 and #4 were 0%, 8%, 16%, 24%. respectively. This results of the experiments indicated that the nitrate removal rate and current efficiency were increased significantly cause of growing of autotrophic denitrification microorganisms on the surface of cathode and media by increasing of the current density and decreasing of HRT. However, The decreasing of nitrate removal rate and current efficiencies were observed in the condition of HRT of 5.25 hr and 4.8 A/$m^2$ of current density. With more increasing current density and decreasing of HRT, the hydrogen inhibition occurred at the surface of cathode. Moreover, nitrate removal rate by autotrophic denitrification microorganisms attached on the media surface was observed to be limited by no longer increasing dissolved hydrogen concentration of each reactor. In conclusion, the highest nitrate nitrogen removal and current efficiency could be achieved when the BER was operated at the conditions of 7 hr HRT, current density of 4.0 A/$m^2$, and 16% packing ratio. And it was found that the amount of nitrate removal by microorganisms attached on the surface of cathode and media (BRM) was 178.2 mg/L and 52.2 mg/L respectively. and the amount of nitrate removal per MLVSS was 0.435 g $NO_3{^-}$-N/g $MLVSS{\cdot}d$ and 0.336 $NO_3{^-}$-N/g $MLVSS{\cdot}d$.