Kinetic Modeling of GAC - IFAS Chemostat for Petrochemical Wastewater Treatment

This paper delivers on the biodegradation kinetics of an integrated fixed film activated sludge (IFAS) reactor using experimental data and a mathematical model under two operational conditions, employing different quantities of granular activated carbon (GAC) as a biological growth support medium. A mathematical model based on Monod kinetics was validated using the experimental data by employing estimated kinetic parameters and values from the literature for other parameters of the process. The mathematical model was found to describe the process well at a steady state and to a lesser extent, at transient state operation. Under chemostat conditions, the process was found to be mainly limited by the high microorganisms decay rate, specific utilization rate and limitation imposed by the substrate availability.