EVALUATION OF THE REMOVAL EFFICIENCY OF ORGANIC MATTER AND NITROGEN IN A TRICKLING FILTER WITH NEW PACKING

The efficiency of a trickling filter for COD removal was evaluated with a real sanitary discharge with average COD of 382 mg/L at Universidad de las Americas Puebla campus. The packing designed by the authors operated in 2012 during March and May. The feed was adjusted to three high hydraulic loads (HL), repeating the intermediate value, and were evaluated each for 18 days in a sequence of disturbances-responses that characterized the steady-state operation of the packing. During March (daily temperatures ranging from 10 to 26.2 degrees C) were tested 9.2 m(3)/ m(2)d and 15.3 m(3)/ m(2)d. In May (daily temperatures ranging from 12.2 to 27.9 degrees C), with 15.3 m(3)/ m(2)d was observed an increase in the removal percentage with respect to the same value in March, that is attributed to the increase in the average daily temperature. In the last test, with 19.6 m(3)/ m(2)d was consequently observed that the maximum' COD removal decreased. The organic loads removed from 1.62 to 3.19 kg DQO/ m(3) d are related to high load and efficiency packing. The dissolved oxygen measured at three points in the packing are related to the values of reduction of COD. Nitrogen removal was no-significant in the four experiments.