Carbon foams used as packing media in a biological aerated filter system

Carbon foams were derived from coal-tar pitch and applied as packing media in a biological aerated filter (BAF) system for wastewater treatment. The capacity of growing bacteria on carbon foam is 5.6 wt.%. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) in a carbon foam BAF system are 81, 81 and 75%, respectively. Compared with the ceramic particle BAF system, the carbon foam BAF system exhibits a higher and steadier treatment performance for COD, BOD and NH3-N removal. This is because carbon foam exhibits a higher porosity, higher external surface area, rougher coral-like surface and stronger adsorption performance for organic pollutants. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.