Two kinds of carrier material, macroporous polyurethane and haydite, were loaded into two identical biological aerated filters (BAFs) to compare the efficiency of their microbial treatment of wastewater containing organic matter and ammonia nitrogen after they had been seeded with the same bacteria. Parameters affecting the removal performance by the BAF process, such as the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) loading rate, and hydraulic retention time (HRT), were investigated in detail. At different C/N ratios, NH3-N loading rates, and HRTs, the reductions in the overall NH3-N and chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) by the BAF supported by macroporous polyurethane were higher those of the BAF supported by haydite. This result was attributed to the macroporous structure of the polyurethane and its active chemical groups, which are not only suitable for the immobilization of microorganisms but also for the transmission of the substrate and products. Average efficiency of the BAF with macroporous polyurethane in removing total nitrogen was 48.1%, although which was cleared was lower than that of the filter with haydite. Therefore, macroporous polyurethane can be used as the carrier material in BAF bioreactors.
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