Effect of selective organic fractions on denitrification rates using Salsnes Filter as primary treatment

The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of selective particle removal during primary treatment on downstream biological nutrient removal processes. Bench-scale Salsnes Filter fine mesh sieves were used as a primary treatment to obtain different organic fractions to test the effect on denitrification. Activated sludge and moving bed biofilm reactor anoxic tests were performed on municipal wastewater collected from two full-scale wastewater treatment plants located around the Oslo region (Norway). About 43% of the suspended solids in the wastewater was less than 18 μm, and 14% was between 18 and 150 μm. The effect of particulate chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal on denitrification rates was very minor.