LEVAPOR – porous, adsorbing carrier for bioprocess improvement

Dr. Imre Pascik LEVAPOR GmbHwww. levapor.com Leverkusen, Germany

About us

• Innovative Organization • Fixed Film Based Process Solutions • Complex Effluent, Municipal Wastewater,

Polluted Gas • CEO Dr. Imre Pascik • 40 years of experience with Bayer AG,

Environmental Bio Technology Centre, Leverkusen

About us

• Development of innovative processes • Two Step nitrification of high Ammonia

containing effluents • Landfill Leachate Treatment • Bayer Tower Biology (Otto Award) • Degradation of toxic effluents using

Anaerobic-Aerobic Processes

Bio Film Technology• Biodegradation of pollutants occurs

via teamwork of microorganisms united

in sludge flocs

• Important result of research :• Some important, non-flocculating

organisms will be washed out from bioreactor, resulting reduced plant efficiency

• Solution: Biofilm technology• via immobilisation, cell growth on• solid surfaces, “carriers“ made of• plastics, sand, glass, etc.

• Target: Synthesis of biocarrier

Our REQUESTS on OPTIMAL CARRIER

• PROPERTY EFFECT • • 1. Adsorbing capacity - binding toxic pollutants

- fast colonization + bio film

- fast start up at high level

• 2. Porosity, high inner surface - protection of the biofilm • (high biomass content) - high space-time-yields

• 3. Fast wetting - homogenous fluidisation

• 4. Water binding - mass transport, bioactivity • 5. Proper fluidisation - lower energy consumption

Our Technology

• LEVAPOR Bio Carrier • First synthesized Bio Carrier • Porous, Flexible, Durable PU foam

impregnated with surface active pigments like activated carbon

• Due to variability of foam and pigment type and their ratios, tailor made carriers can be produced with varying properties

Our Technology

Properties

High Adsorbing Surface • 15 to 50 kg of activated

carbon per m3 of foam matrix

• PU foam surface area 2500 m2/m3

• 1000-2000 m2/g surface area of activated carbon

• Extremely high adsorbing surface

Benefits:• Reversible Adsorption• Rapid microbial colonization

and biofilm formation • Temporary adsorption of

toxic and inhibitory substances

• Subsequent biodegradation and thus regeneration of surface

Properties

High Internal Porosity Benefits• Discrete microbial colonies

and Biofilm growth inside pores

• Prevention of complete wash out due to excessive shear

• Establishment of substrate and DO gradients enabling anoxic zones

• Feast-Famine conditions

Properties

Hydrophilic Surface• Polyether based hydrophilic

PU foam• Fast Wetting and Water

binding • Lower colonized weight

100-120 kg/m3

Benefits• Higher microbial affinity

and thus faster colonization • Better mass transfer and

diffusion coefficients • Better fluidization and

lower energy consumption

Advantages • Treatment of effluents containing toxic substances • Short process start up and higher performance compared to

suspended mass based systems (100 to 300%)• Higher process stability against toxic shock loads and

fluctuations in reactor conditions • Lower Degree of Filling (12 to 15%) • Smaller foot print • Lower energy consumption for fluidization • Lower sludge production • Simpler process control

Lab Trials • Biodegradation of toxic 2-

Chloroaniline (2-CA)• in two parallel discontinuously

operated aerobic lab plants• In the first 2 hours 2-CA became ca.

65% adsorbed, on LEVAPOR , while toxicity in the medium dropped .

• Biodegradation of 2-CA in LEVAPOR-reactor started and completed after 240 hours.

• Quantity of released Cl– ions confirmed a quantitative degradation.

• 2-CA in the reactor without LEVAPOR has not been degraded.

Applications• Up gradation/expansion of existing plants • Anaerobic-Aerobic treatment of high strength , slowly

bio degradable pollutants • Nitrification- de nitrification of effluents containing high

ammonia concentrations• Biological Treatment of Polluted air/gas (BTF)• Biofilm reactor MBBR/IFAS for the treatment of

industrial and municipal wastewater • Treatment of hyper saline effluents containing solvents • Treatment of land fill leachate and groundwater

containing PAHs.

SAPPI,GERMANY

• SAPPI EFFLUENT TREATMENT PLANT:• South Africa Pulp and Paper Industry, Ehingen, Germany • Sulfite based pulp and paper industry• Application of Chlorine for bleaching • High Concentration of toxic, weakly bio degradable

chloro-organic compounds (AOX-90 mg/lit)• Strong Stream : COD 45 t/d @ 10 MLD • Weak Stream : COD 2.45 t/d @ 3.5 MLD

SAPPI,GERMANY

Lab scale testing Anaerobic or Aerobic?

• Aerobic treatment with suspended bio mass

• Only 40-45 % COD elimination

• Anaerobic-Aerobic Treatment ?

• Anaerobic reactors using different bio carriers

SAPPI,GERMANY

• 1 :Levapor

• 2: Activated Carbon

• 3: Unmodified PU foam

• 4: Suspended Bio mass

Impact of Carriers on Methane Production

SAPPI,GERMANY

• Solution :• Anaerobic Treatment Using Levapor Carriers • Reactor Size only 15000 m3 instead of 65000m3 with

suspended bio mass • 1500 m3 of Levapor media • 66-70% COD removal • Further 50% of COD removal in Aerobic Treatment • 50,000 m3 less volume

SAPPI,GERMANY

Startup: 1990, only 2 of 3 ANA-reactors were started with LEVAPOR in order to compare the effect of immobilisation. After few weeks a toxic shock has stopped the reactor without LEVAPOR ~ 85 % COD- removal , 4 – 6 t/d sludge, 14.000 m³/d biogas

SAPPI,GERMANY

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41

susp.biomass

May 90 June 90

immob. biomasskgCOD/m³ x day

Case Studies

• City of NINGAN Wastewater treatment Plant • Heilongjiang Province , China• 4,40,000 Population • Very Cold climate during winter • Difficulty in maintaining nitrification during

winter • Stricter Legal discharge limits

NINGAN,WWTP

• Solution :• 3200 m3 of aeration tank

volume • 480m3 of Levapor Bio

carrier• 15% Filling • 20 X 20 X 7 mm size• 20- 22 MLD flow• 3.2 -3.8 hours HRT • Started in October 2010

2013 Performance Summary•Wider Fluctuations in inlet COD (96 - 670 ppm)

•Lower Temperatures

•(5.1 - 21 Degree C)

•Outlet COD (9 - 49.6 mg/lit)

•86.3 % Mean COD reduction( 61.9 -97.4%)

•285 days COD < 39 mg/lit

NH4.N /TN Reduction

• For 182 days NH4.N reduction >=80%

• Min. NH4.N outlet :0.1 mg/lit

Nitrogen Trends

NINGAN, CHINA

• 88-90 % COD and 91-93% NH4.N reduction despite decreasing temperature and shorter HRTs

• Remarkable process stability against temp, COD, TKN variations

• Lower level of nitrate confirming denitrification

• Lower capital and operational cost

LEVAPOR: IFAS• Single Basin Construction• 12 to 15 % Filling • Loading Rates 2.5 to 4

Kg.COD/m3.day • 8-10 mm retention screens• Lower mixing energy

requirement :• 2-3 mg/lit Bulk DO• 4-7 Nm3/m2.hr mixing air• Up to 35% reactor volume

saving compared to plastic media

How Can We Associate

• Problem analysis for the treatment of high strength industrial and municipal wastewater treatment

• Define treatment goals and conceptual process design

• Development of optimal process and parameters • Manufacturing of high performance tailor made bio

carriers for the application • Process Start up

Thank You !!!!