Przedstawiono badania przeprowadzone w skali laboratoryjnej nad oczyszczaniem ścieków syntetycznych zeolitami naturalnymi w porcjowym reaktorze sekwencyjnym SBR. Przyjęte w badaniach różne układy faz procesowych (zmienne warunki atoksyczne, anaerobowe i aerobowe) umożliwiły dokonanie oceny skuteczności i zasadności dozowania do komory biologicznego oczyszczania naturalnych zeolitów. Badania prowadzono w dwóch reaktorach, z których pierwszy stanowił poziom kontrolny, w drugim - proces osadu czynnego wspomagano zeolitem, stanowiącym aktywny nośnik biofilmu. Stężenie zeolitu w SBR nie przekraczało 1 g/l. Uzyskane wyniki badań wykazały znaczny wzrost efektywności oczyszczania ścieków w obecności zeolitu. Stanowił on dobre podłoże dla rozwoju mikroorganizmów, stabilizował prace osadu czynnego oraz poprawiał jego właściwości sedymentacyjne. Nie stwierdzono negatywnego oddziaływania zeolitu na bakterie osadu czynnego. Pomimo wprowadzanych zmian układu faz procesowych 8-godzinnego cyklu reaktora SBR w obecności zeolitu obserwowano każdorazowo wzrost intensywności nitryfikacji i denitryfikacji oraz defosfatacji w stosunku do reaktora kontrolnego.
This paper describes lab-scale experiments of wastewater treatment in sequencing batch reactor at the different process phases using zeolites. These natural minerals, due to their skeleton structure have such properties as: sorption, ion exchange and molecular-sieve, used in sewage treatment technologies too. Researches were conducted in two reactors, working at the range of decantation coefficient 0.5. The first one was a control reactor and sewage was treated only in the process of activated sludge. The second reactor was operated with the zeolite added, which was a carrier of biofilm. At the end of aeration phase excess sludge was removed to maintain total sludge age of 10 d. Synthetic wastewater used in the experiment consisted of organie (peptone and bouillon) and minerał (NH4CI, NaCl, CaCl, MgSO4, KH2PO4, K2HPO4) compounds. Once a day dusted zeolite, with graining less than 250 μm were dosed reaching fixed concentration on level of 1 g/L. Reactors were operated with a cycle time of 8-hours. Each cycle consisted of phases: filling, mixing in anoxic - anaerobic condition, aerating, settling and decantation of purified wastewater. During the tests the time-sequenced anoxic/toxic phases were changed. A comparison of gained treatment results allowed to estimate the effectiveness and legitimacy of the zeolites dosage to the biological treatment chamber. These results showed that wastewater treatment with added natural minera even at different phases of SBR operation was more effective. Zeolites had a positive influence on activity of activated sludge, sludge settleability (adding zeolites influenced on decreasing the sludge volume index SVI) and increased concentrations of biomass (growth at interface and in pores of mineral). The higher reduction of COD, BOD5, TP and TKN was observed in a purified sewage from reactor with added zeolite. These minerals increased the efficiency of organic and phosphorus removal, nitrogen transformation and removal from the wastewater. Zeolite made convenient breeding ground for microorganisms. Removing phosphorus compounds from the wastewater in presence of zeolite was the result of higher biological stimulation of microorganisms while removing of nitrogen compounds was a result of both physico-chemical and biological process.