Field experiment on biological contact oxidation process to treat polluted river water in the Dianchi Lake watershed

In this study two types of biological contact oxidation processes (BCOP), a step-feed (SBCOP) unit and an inter-recycle (IBCOP) unit, were designed to investigate the treatment of heavily polluted river water. The Daqing River, which is the largest pollutant contributor to the Dianchi Lake, one of the most eutrophic freshwater lakes in China, was taken for the case study. It was found that the SBCOP had higher adaptability and better performance in the reduction of COD, TN, and TP, which made it applicable for the treatment of polluted river water entering the Dianchi Lake. Nitrification rate was observed to be greatly affected by the influent temperature. During each season, the nitrification in the SBCOP was higher than that in the IBCOP. TN removal efficiency in the SBCOP was higher than that in the IBCOP during the winter and spring but poorer during the summer, possibly due to the inhibition of denitrification by higher dissolved oxygen level in the summer. Moreover, symbiotic algaebacteria growth may be conducive to the removal of pollutants.