ABSTRACT
The water quality of the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket effluent plays an important role because it sets the boundary conditions for the functionality of the post-treatment system to be designed. The exact treatment efficiencies and therewith, effluent composition, differs from location to location owing to a number of factors. The effective retention of Ammonium Oxidizing Organisms in the bioreactors is considered essential for achieving a successful partial nitritation that would allow the implementation of an Anammox conversion process. The biological reactors, at lab or full-scale, require the inoculation of the biomass and a period for the adaptation of the inoculum before achieving the maximum metabolic activity. The sponge bed trickling filter is a promising alternative for nitrogen removal using sponge-based reactor technology. It is recommended to model the convective airflow in relation to the metabolic activity in the sponge cubes of the sponge bed trickling filter.
