Assessing the performance of modified waste cotton cloth (MWCC) installed in a biological contact reactor as a biofilm carrier used for domestic wastewater treatment

Abstract

The current study examined the performance of modified waste cotton cloth (MWCC) in the removal of organic pollutants from domestic wastewater as an emerging technique for waste textile resource management and reuse. The MWCC biofilm carrier was self-made with discarded cotton cloths cut into smaller strips with 66 cm long and average weight of 2.4 g each. The surface of the non-modified waste cotton cloth (NM-WCC) was modified through the hydrosulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4) method to enhance the physical characteristics of the material such as hydrophilicity and biofilm attachment. The best filling rate of the carrier used for the experiment was 65% as determined by preliminary studies. Two self-made biological contact biofilm reactors: R1 (installed with NM-WCC) and R2 (fixed with MWCC), were used for the experiment. The experimental results showed that MWCC had higher removal efficacy of chemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen (NH 4 +-N) and total phosphorus (TP) at 98.34%, 85.44% and 60.20%, respectively. The hydraulic retention time decreased from 21 to 8 h on the 4th day. The scanning electron microscope was used to analyse the surface characteristics of the NM-WCC and MWCC. The water-holding capacity of the biofilm carriers was determined through the static immersion method and ASTM D1117-80 guiding principles. The water contact angle was estimated through the static process by adapting Young's equation. The findings of this research could significantly contribute to the discovering of alternative innovative technological prospects of utilizing H 2 SO 4 MWCC as an effective biofilm carrier in domestic wastewater treatment.

Assessment of Potential Use of a Composite Based on Polyester Textile Waste as Packing Elements of a Trickle Bed Bioreactor

“…The samples were weighed, then placed in a beaker with distilled water and weighed again after the determined time. Weight and volume of water absorption were calculated using Formulas (1) and (2) [44,68]:…”

“…Taking into account the above and the fact that real textile wastewater is characterised by high COD values, the content of individual components of the model wastewater was increased by 50%, which is marked on the chart with a colour change (from light to dark) (Figure 22). The biofilm is considered fully formed after 30 days of storage under stable environmental conditions [44]. The aim of this study was to determine the potential for biofilm formation of the fabricated packing media, for which reason the tests were carried out beginning in the first days of microbial aggregate formation on their surface.…”

“…K. Paździor et al conducted a biological treatment process for toxic textile wastewater using biological aerobic filters (BAFs) filled with LECA ® . The authors evaluated its potential as a biofilm medium-the biofilm formed on its surface The biofilm is considered fully formed after 30 days of storage under stable environmental conditions [44]. The aim of this study was to determine the potential for biofilm formation of the fabricated packing media, for which reason the tests were carried out beginning in the first days of microbial aggregate formation on their surface.…”

“…The possibility of using some waste materials, e.g., used tires [34][35][36][37][38], acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) from waste electrical and electronic equipment [39], straw [40][41][42] and wood [40,43], as a substrate for biofilm formation has been investigated in the literature. Attempts have also been made to test textile materials, which are not classified as waste materials, as packing elements, e.g., cotton fabric [44] and polyester non-woven fabric [45].…”

“…Previous research suggests the possibility of using non-waste materials from the textile industry, including polyester materials, as packing elements in biological wastewater treatment [44,45]. Therefore, in this study, for the first time, the applicability of textile waste material as packing elements of the bioreactor to the treatment of real textile wastewater was investigated.…”