Effects of hydrogen peroxide on an upward flow biological filter bed (BFB) containing manganese dioxide fillers
Abstract
Generally, there is some residual hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) present in treated wastewater from the Fenton and Fenton-like oxidation processes. We investigated the influence of residual H2O2 on a lab-scale upward flow biological filter bed (BFB) containing manganese dioxide (MnO2) particles. The H2O2 in the feed wastewater was rapidly decomposed into oxygen due to the catalytic role of the MnO2 particles in the bottom layer of the BFB, resulting in a significant increase in the efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. A concentration of 120 mg L−1 H2O2 in the feed wastewater increased the COD removal efficiency by 39%. This increase can be attributed to the generation of dissolved oxygen (DO) from H2O2 decomposition due to aerobic microorganism growth.