Mbbr unit allowing waste discharge without requiring halt

Abstract

The invention relates to a MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) unit (1) reducing the total amount of nitrogen (TAN, NH3N) that leads to fatal consequences for the living beings in the systems of living beings, while requiring no halt for the system maintenance and bringing the activation of the bacteria species nitrobacteria and nitrosomonas and thus the nitrification process into the most efficient state. More particularly, the present invention relates to a MBBR unit (1), which is intended to improve the performance values of and prolong the lifetime of the nitrification process having vital importance for the systems of living beings, wherein said MBBR unit (1) enhances the efficiency while reducing the water consumption and allows the discharge of the wastes without requiring any halt.

Description

[0001] MBBR UNIT ALLOWING WASTE DISCHARGE WITHOUT REQUIRING HALT

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The invention relates to a MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) unit reducing the total amount of nitrogen (TAN, NH3N) that leads to fatal consequences for the living beings in the systems of living beings, while requiring no halt for the system maintenance and bringing the activation of the bacteria species nitrobacteria and nitrosomonas and thus the nitrification process into the most efficient state.

[0004] More particularly, the present invention relates to a MBBR unit, which is intended to improve the performance values of and prolong the lifetime of the nitrification process having vital importance for the systems of living beings, wherein said MBBR unit enhances the efficiency while reducing the water consumption and allows the discharge of the wastes without requiring any halt.

[0005] State of the Art

[0006] The wastes, which are also referred to as the bioload (dead plant residues, dead fish, unconsumed food, excrement, etc.) and are present in the Closed or Semi-Closed Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) or Aquarium Life Support Systems (LSS), cause an increase in the total amount of nitrogen in the respective system. The presence of ammonium even in a trace amount leads to fatal consequences for the living beings inhabiting the aquarium. In order to eliminate this risk from the system, it is necessary to reduce the amount of ammonium, i.e., ammonia nitrogen (NH3N), to the lowest level possible.

[0007] Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) according to the invention determines the quality of the nitrification process. As a result of the oxidation of ammonium, i.e., the processes of the formation of nitrite and then of nitrate, carried out within this unit by the bacterial derivatives such as nitrosomonas, nitrobacteria, etc., the amount of material that poses fatal hazard for the living beings is minimized. Said process is the process of nitrification. Although MBBR is the most effective solution for the nitrification process, the growth of the bacteria used for the biological treatment by adhering to a suitable medium and the formation of a biofilm layer by said bacteria in the meantime also provide an effective solution in the process step of biological filtration. The ability to carry out the process in an effective manner depends on the ability of the MBBR unit to focus on the requirement in the most accurate way. This requirement is identified via the calculations that depend on the population, amount, weight and reproduction rate of the living beings, the amount of food, and the lifespan of the living beings present at the location, i.e., briefly stated, on the bioload.

[0008] The patent document no. CN113666485A relates to the field of aquaculture sewage treatment and discloses a modified MBBR biomembrane filler and a zero-discharge aquaculture sewage treatment system implementing the filler. The modified MBBR biomembrane filler has a high specific surface area and the microbial strains and / or algae are attached to the surface of the modified MBBR biomembrane filler. The zero-discharge aquaculture sewage treatment system implementing this filler includes a grid, an anoxic tank, a facultative tank, a MBBR ultra-fine bubble biological reaction tank, a secondary sedimentation tank and a high-efficiency oxygenating ion system. The invention in said patent document does not disclose the discharge valve present in our invention, which discharge valve is positioned in the lower body, enables the removal of the wastes even while the system is in operation and thus prevents the accumulation of the sludge-like layer and discharges the same while the system continues to operate, and increases the water saving up to 95%.

[0009] The utility model document no. CN211664906U discloses an aquaculture tail-water treatment device based on a suspended filler biofilm technology. Said document discloses a reactor with a reactor body, wherein a denitrification system for decreasing the total nitrogen content in the wastewater, an aerobic biochemical system for removing the organic matter from the wastewater and a nitrification system for removing the ammonia nitrogen from the wastewater are disposed in a sequential manner in the reactor main body. In the tail-water treatment process, the nitrification system conveys, via a backflow device, the wastewater treated in said nitrification system to the denitrification system for further treatment. Although the object of this utility model document is similar to the object of our invention, our system includes differences. Our waste removal system developed with our invention is entirely different from that in this utility model document. Besides, this utility model document does not contain any information about the removal of the waste by the use of a discharge valve and without halting the system.

[0010] The MBBR units according to the state of the art have rather high water consumption. In addition to said water consumption, halting the system hinders the continuity of the process and causes the discontinuation of the system’s operation. This stage leads to fatal consequences for the living beings. Another difficulty in the removal of the wastes from the system leads to the loss of some of the nitrification bacteria. Moreover, it is necessary to completely stop the system and discharge the water inside the same, in order to remove the wastes that settle to the bottom during the process. These are not user-friendly systems and it is very difficult to even clean said systems. Occurrence of the halts on the basis of aquaculture and industrial aquarium for the removal of the wastes from the system, the rather high consumption of energy and the rather high consumption of the water intended to be recycled are the large-scale problems.

[0011] As a result, said drawbacks in the existing MBBR units have made it necessary to develop the MBBR unit system according to the invention, which is intended to increase the performance and the efficiency. The MBBR unit developed as a result of our invention enables the system to be relieved of the dead bacteria and the wastes without any halt occurring in said system and reduces the water consumption by a ratio as high as 95%.

[0012] Object and Brief Description of the Invention

[0013] An object of the invention is to present a MBBR unit reducing the total amount of nitrogen (TAN, NH3N) that leads to fatal consequences for the living beings in the systems of living beings, while requiring no halt for the system maintenance and bringing the activation of the bacteria species nitrobacteria and nitrosomonas and thus the nitrification process into the most efficient state.

[0014] Another object of the invention is to improve the performance values by reconfiguring an existing equivalent product, to provide a longer useful life for the product, which is a part of the life support unit required to be used in the aquacultures and industrial aquariums and which is built based on the performance of the nitrification process, and to render said product more efficient.

[0015] Another object of the invention is to develop an environment-friendly MBBR unit system, which is possible to be used for reducing the total amount of nitrogen that is very fatal for the living beings inhabiting the aquacultures and industrial aquariums and which reduces the amount of water required as well as improving the living conditions of the living beings.

[0016] Another object of the invention is to provide a solution for one of the most common problems encountered in the MBBR units; i.e., the necessity to perform the waste removal operations after halting the system. Although the removal of the wastes is a mandatory operation due to the nature of the system, the ultimate goal is to achieve the waste removal without halting the operation of the system. Said waste is intended to mean a composition of matter consisting of the organic food residues, the organic excrement particles, the various inorganic deposits and the mass of bacteria, which continuously grow especially during the nitrification process and naturally die after completing their lifecycle. In this way, it is aimed to improve the parameters affecting the system efficiency and to achieve minimum cost and maximum efficiency. From the perspective of the end user, both the initial investment cost and the amount of energy used in the system are reduced. From the perspective of production, due to the saving of the materials and the improvement in the energy consumption as well as in the usage ratio and quality of the wastewater, our invention becomes an environment-friendly technology.

[0017] According to our invention, no accumulation occurs on the bottom of the system, owing to the configured bottom grating and discharge valve, and a system is designed where the wastes may be removed with the help of a discharge valve via the opening in the middle part of the bottom even while the system is in operation, owing to the inclinations of the first plate and the second plate. With this system, the ratio of the water saving reaches a value as high as 95% and further, no halt occurs in the system. The nitrification bacteria continue their function and their lifecycle while the discharge of the wastes is being performed.

[0018] The invention is a MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) unit, which includes a water inlet line and a water outlet line and further contains biomedia, wherein said MBBR unit comprises, in order to allow the discharge of the wastes without necessitating any halt, the components of

[0019] - at least one lower body, which is configured in the lower part of said MBBR unit,

[0020] - at least one upper body, which is connected in a top section with said lower body,

[0021] - a blower, which increases the amount of oxygen in the water and sets the biomedia within said MBBR unit in motion,

[0022] - a discharge valve, which is located on said lower body and is configured to discharge the sludge-like layer accumulating in the bottom portion of said MBBR unit,

[0023] - a first plate, which is positioned on said lower body, is an inclined plate, has high outer sides, and descends towards the center,

[0024] - a second plate, which is positioned on said lower body, is an inclined plate, has high outer sides, descends towards the center, and is disposed opposite said first plate,

[0025] - a first discharge pipe, which is configured at the central position where said first plate and second plate descend,

[0026] - at least one slit, which is configured on said first discharge pipe,

[0027] - a second discharge pipe, which is configured as a continuation of said first discharge pipe and is connected with said discharge valve,

[0028] - a perforated grating, which is configured in front of said water outlet line and prevents the biomedia, dead bacteria and sludge-like layer present inside from exiting via the water outlet line during the outflow of water,

[0029] - a side portion, which is a part of said perforated grating and is disposed opposite said water outlet line, - a top portion, which is another part of said perforated grating and is disposed in the upper part of said water outlet line,

[0030] - a bottom grating with a perforated structure, which is configured below the side portion of said perforated grating,

[0031] - at least one air inlet pipe, which is configured over said bottom grating,

[0032] - an arm, which is formed below said bottom grating,

[0033] - at least one air diffuser, which is configured on each said arm, enables the transmission of the air distributed into the arms, and is intended to provide homogeneous distribution of the air through said MBBR unit, and

[0034] - at least one perforated cassette, which is located on the upper body of said MBBR unit and enables the exit of the excess air that accumulates within said MBBR unit while preventing the exit of the biomedia when the water level rises.

[0035] Brief Description of the Figures

[0036] Figure 1 provides a perspective view of the MBBR unit according to the invention.

[0037] Figure 2 provides a transparent inner perspective view of the lower and upper bodies of the MBBR unit according to the invention.

[0038] Figure 3 provides a perspective view of the lower and upper bodies of the MBBR unit according to the invention.

[0039] Figure 4 provides a bottom section-perspective view of the lower body of the MBBR unit according to the invention.

[0040] Figure 5 provides a top section-perspective view of the lower body of the MBBR unit according to the invention.

[0041] Figure 6 provides a top section-perspective view of the upper body of the MBBR unit according to the invention.

[0042] Figure 7 provides a transparent inner perspective view, from another angle, of the lower and upper bodies of the MBBR unit according to the invention. Reference Numerals

[0043] 1. MBBR unit

[0044] 10. Lower body

[0045] 20. Upper body

[0046] 30. Control unit

[0047] 40. Blower

[0048] 60. Coiled pipe

[0049] 61. Air inlet pipe

[0050] 70. T-fitting

[0051] 90. Observation window

[0052] 100. Perforated grating

[0053] 101. Side portion

[0054] 102. Top portion

[0055] 110. Bottom grating

[0056] 130. Discharge valve

[0057] 140. First plate

[0058] 150. Second plate

[0059] 160. First discharge pipe

[0060] 161. Slit

[0061] 162. Second discharge pipe

[0062] 170. Air diffusers

[0063] 180. Arm

[0064] 190. Level indicator pipe

[0065] 200. Water inlet line

[0066] 210. Water outlet line

[0067] 220. Cassette

[0068] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0069] The present invention relates to a MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) unit (1) reducing the total amount of nitrogen (TAN, NH3N) that leads to fatal consequences for the living beings in the systems of living beings, while requiring no halt for the system maintenance and bringing the activation of the bacteria species nitrobacteria and nitrosomonas and thus the nitrification process into the most efficient state.

[0070] The MBBR unit (1) according to the invention is formed by connecting the lower body (10) and the upper body (20) with each other with the help of the flanges. The reason for said MBBR unit (1) to consist of the lower body (10) and the upper body (20) is that it is possible to separate the body into two parts by opening the flanges when it is desired to intervene in the MBBR unit (1) and it thus becomes easier to perform such intervention. Said MBBR unit (1) basically comprises the components of the water inlet line (200), the water outlet line (210), the blower (40), and the discharge valve (130). In addition to these, said MBBR unit (1) enables the water level inside said MBBR unit (1 ) to be determined owing to the presence in said MBBR unit (1) of at least one observation window (90) and at least one transparent level indicator pipe (190), which extends from the lower body (10) to the upper body (20). The optical sensor, which is connected with the component T-fitting (70) of said level indicator pipe (190) located on the upper body (20), issues an alarm when the water level exceeds a predetermined level and stops the system to thereby prevent the overflow. Owing to the blower (40) it comprises, said MBBR unit (1) increases the amount of oxygen in the water and sets the biomedia inside said MBBR unit (1) in motion. Said blower (40) sucks in the outside atmospheric air and delivers the air to the air inlet pipe (61) by following the line of the coiled pipe (60) disposed over said blower (40). Since the blower (40) continuously compresses the air, the air inside said blower (40) heats up. In order to prevent the transfer of this heat-up into the MBBR unit (1), the coiled pipe (60) enables the temperature of the heated air to be reduced by way of air-air contact. The control unit (30), which said MBBR unit (1 ) comprises, is used to set the capacity of said blower (40).

[0071] The water enters said MBBR unit (1 ) via the water inlet line (200). As illustrated in Figure 6 where the upper body is shown as transparent, said water inlet line (200) is configured with a perforated cylindrical structure. Said water inlet line (200) with a perforated cylindrical structure distributes the inflowing water homogeneously into the MBBR unit (1). At the same time, since said holes are of small size, the biomedia, in case of backflow, is prevented from exiting through said holes. While the perforated cassette (220) structure configured at the top middle section of the upper body (20) of said MBBR unit (1) enables the exit of the excess air accumulating inside said MBBR unit (1), the media is prevented from exiting through these holes in case the water level rises.

[0072] A while after the MBBR unit (1) is started; the dead bacteria and various residues accumulate on the bottom as a sludge-like layer. The outflow of water is enabled via the water outlet line (210) located on said lower body (10). The perforated grating (100) structure configured in front of said water outlet line (210) prevents the sludge-like layer from exiting via said water outlet line (210) while the outflow of water is taking place. Said perforated grating (100) consists of at least one side portion (101 ), which is configured in the shape of rectangle or square and is located opposite the water outlet line (210), and at least one top portion (102), which is configured in the shape of a semi-circle and is located in the upper part of the water outlet line (210). Owing to the perforated structure of said perforated grating (100), while the outflow of water is allowed, the sludge-like layer is prevented from exiting via the water outlet line (210). When said perforated grating (100) structure becomes clogged, the water moves toward the bottom grating (110) with a perforated structure, which is configured below the side portion (101) of said perforated grating (100) and provides an alternative flow path. Said discharge valve (130) is located on the lower body (10) and is used to discharge the sludge-like layer accumulating on the bottom of said MBBR unit (1). At least one first plate (140), at least one second plate (150), at least one first discharge pipe (160) and at least one second discharge pipe (162) are present in the bottom section of said lower body (10). Said first plate (140) and second plate (150) are the inclined plates having high outer sides and descending towards the center. The sludge-like layer accumulating on the bottom of the MBBR unit (1) advances towards the center with the help of the inclined first plate (140) and the inclined second plate (150). Said first discharge pipe (160) is configured at the central position where said first plate (140) and second plate (150) descend. Figure 7 illustrates the components, which play a role in the waste discharge, in a view where the lower body (10) is shown as transparent. The second discharge pipe (162), which is configured as a cylindrical pipe being a continuation of said first discharge pipe (160) and extending upward from the end of said first discharge pipe (160), is connected with said discharge valve (130). When said discharge valve (130) is opened, the sludgelike layer moves to the top of the first discharge pipe (160) and is sucked in owing to at least one slit (161) configured on (in the lower section of) the first discharge pipe (160). More than one of said slits (161 ) may be present and they are configured as thin rectangular openings on the first discharge pipe (160). When the discharge valve (130) is opened, the sludge-like layer is, owing to the pressure generated by the water inside the MBBR unit (1), sucked in through the slits (161 ) present on the first discharge pipe (160), is then conveyed to the second discharge pipe (162), and is discharged via said discharge valve (130).

[0073] After the air introduced via said blower (40) advances in the coiled pipe (60) and the temperature thereof is thus decreased, said air is distributed via at least one air inlet pipe (61) configured at the center of said bottom grating (110) into the arms (180), which are formed below said bottom grating (110). The air distributed into the arms (180) is conveyed to the air diffusers (170) configured on said arms (180). Said air diffusers (170) are configured with a cylindrical structure on each arm (180) over the bottom grating (110) and distribute the incoming air into the MBBR unit (1) in a homogeneous manner.

[0074] In another embodiment of the invention, it is possible to construct the MBBR unit (1) on a larger scale. Said larger-scale MBBR unit (1 ) is formed by a single body. The observation windows (90) on said MBBR unit (1) are formed with a larger size and it is possible to enter the MBBR unit (1 ) via these windows and thus intervene in said MBBR unit (1).

[0075] The water, which is desired to be filtered and which percolates downward from the top in the system owing to the blower (40) providing the motion of the biomedia inside said MBBR unit (1), picks up the dead bacteria from the surfaces of the moving biomedia and the nitrification process is enabled to take place owing to O2 supplied to the other bacteria by the blower (40). First, the formation of nitrite and then, the formation of nitrate occur inside the MBBR unit (1 ). The system water, having passed through the described process, exits via the water outlet line (210).

[0076] The blower (40) available in the MBBR unit (1) introduces the intake air to the interior of the MBBR unit (1). While said blower (40) provides the mobility of the biomedia inside the MBBR unit (1), it further increases the amount of oxygen required during the nitrification process by the bacteria species of nitrobacteria and nitrosomonas carrying out said process.

[0077] Whereas the suspended solids content is +5% in the MBBR units according to the state of the art, this value is reduced to below -10% owing to the MBBR unit (1) developed as a result of our invention. The cleaning operation takes about 50 hours in the MBBR units according to the state of the art and it is necessary to halt the system within this period. Owing to the MBBR unit (1) developed as a result of our invention, it is possible to perform the instant discharge by means of the discharge valve (130) on the lower body (10), without having to halt the system operation. Whereas the TAN removal rate is 600 gTAN / day in the MBBR units according to the state of the art, this value is 1500 gTAN / day in our invention and the value of system efficiency (TAN conversion m3 / W) in our invention shows an increase of 15% compared to the existing systems.

[0078] Owing to the MBBR unit (1 ) developed as a result of our invention, the material costs are reduced by 15% compared to a product with the same capacity. Further, with the system offering a user- friendly technology, the initial investment cost, the operating costs, the maintenance costs and the energy costs are quite low in said system, and as a result, a product providing advantage in the Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is obtained.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) unit (1 ), which includes a water inlet line (200) and a water outlet line (210) and further contains biomedia, characterized in that said MBBR unit comprises, in order to allow the discharge of the wastes without necessitating any halt, the components of- a lower body (10), which is configured in the lower part of said MBBR unit (1 ),- an upper body (20), which is connected in a top section with said lower body (10),- a blower (40), which increases the amount of oxygen in the water and sets the biomedia within said MBBR unit (1) in motion,- a discharge valve (130), which is located on said lower body (10) and is configured to discharge the sludge-like layer accumulating in the bottom portion of said MBBR unit (1 ),- a first plate (140), which is positioned on said lower body (10), is an inclined plate, has high outer sides, and descends towards the center,- a second plate (150), which is positioned on said lower body (10), is an inclined plate, has high outer sides, descends towards the center, and is disposed opposite said first plate (140),- a first discharge pipe (160), which is configured at the central position where said first plate (140) and second plate (150) descend,- at least one slit (161 ), which is configured on said first discharge pipe (160),- a second discharge pipe (162), which is configured as a continuation of said first discharge pipe (160) and is connected with said discharge valve (130),- a perforated grating (100), which is configured in front of said water outlet line (210) and prevents the biomedia, dead bacteria and sludge-like layer present inside from exiting via the water outlet line (210) during the outflow of water,- a side portion (101), which is a part of said perforated grating (100) and is disposed opposite said water outlet line (210),- a top portion (102), which is another part of said perforated grating (100) and is disposed in the upper part of said water outlet line (210),- a bottom grating (110) with a perforated structure, which is configured below the side portion (101 ) of said perforated grating (100),- at least one air inlet pipe (61 ), which is configured over said bottom grating (110),- an arm (180), which is formed below said bottom grating (110),- at least one air diffuser (170), which is configured on each said arm (180), enables the transmission of the air distributed into the arms (180), and is intended to provide homogeneous distribution of the air through said MBBR unit (1), and- at least one perforated cassette (220), which is located on the upper body (20) of said MBBR unit (1) and enables the exit of the excess air that accumulates within said MBBR unit (1 ) while preventing the exit of the biomedia when the water level rises.

2. A MBBR unit (1) according to Claim 1 characterized in that said MBBR unit (1) comprises at least one observation window (90), which is configured to enable the water level to be determined and the interior of said MBBR unit (1) to be seen.

3. A MBBR unit (1) according to Claim 1 characterized in that said MBBR unit (1) comprises at least one transparent level indicator pipe (190), which extends from said lower body (10) to said upper body (20).

4. A MBBR unit (1) according to Claim 1 characterized in that said MBBR unit (1) comprises at least one optical sensor, which is connected with the component T-fitting (70) of said level indicator pipe (190) located on the upper body (20), issues an alarm when the water level exceeds a predetermined level and thus prevents the overflow.

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