Evaluation of Plastic Carrier Media Impact on Oxygen Transfer Efficiency with Coarse and Fine Bubble Diffusers

A study was conducted using an 840 gallon test tank to evaluate the impact of carrier media on standard oxygen transfer efficiency in clean water (SOTEcw), using coarse and fine bubble air diffusers used in Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge and Mixed Bed Biofilm Reactor systems. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of various fill volumes of carrier media on SOTEcw, to better understand the movement of the carrier media at different fill fractions with the use of different diffuser types and to determine the minimum airflow required to achieve media roll at different fill fractions. Results show that with up to 50 percent media fill, the fine bubble diffuser SOTEcw is about twice that of the coarse bubble. The results confirm that the most significant factor impacting SOTEcw is the diffuser type, with fine bubble diffusers yielding significantly higher efficiencies as compared to coarse bubble diffusers.