FAQs LEVAPOR

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LEVAPOR GmbH Biofilm Technologies

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions about Levapor
Technology
Prepared by:
Dr. Imre Pascik
Amit Christian(MSc. Env. Pollution Control)


What is Levapor ?
Levapor is the first synthetically modified carrier possessing ideal characteristics of a biocarrier
(media) required for micro organism immobilization in MBBR/IFAS wastewater treatment process.
What is the material of construction (MOC) of Levapor carrier?
Levapor carriers are made of flexible, durable, high porous Poly Ether(PE) based Poly
Urethane(PU).The PU foam is impregnated with fine activated carbon to render superior properties
for the development of efficient biofilm for complex and difficult to biodegrade effluents.
What are the ideal properties of a carrier material for microbial immobilization in wastewater
treatment?
Ideally a carrier material must offer higher adsorbent surface area for faster and stable colonization
of micro organisms on it. It should provide internal porosity to protect the microbes against toxic
and inhibitory substances and shear forces imparted due to mixing/aeration. It should also ensure
optimal mass transfer properties for the transport of substrate and nutrients making them available
for micro organisms growing in the biofilm. It should also possess good water affinity and higher
fluidization ability for economical and efficient mixing of the carriers with bulk liquid and thus
ensures optimal and user friendly operation of the biological treatment process.
PROPERTIES BENEFITS
Higher adsorbing surface and higher surface area Adsorption of inhibitory substances leading to
better process stability and faster colonization
high internal porosity Prevention of biomass against excessive shear
forces and formation of low DO zones
Fast wetting and water binding Homogenization of fluidised medium and
maintenance of biological activity
Higher fluidization ability Reduction of power consumption
Faster colonization of bacterial mass with higher
surface
Faster process start up and higher efficiency


How does Levapor match above requirements?
Levapor carriers possess all the above mentioned properties of an ideal carrier:
High Adsorption Surface:
PU foam has very high surface area compared to conventional plastic media. Moreover Levapor
carriers are impregnated with 15-40 kg of activated carbon per m3 of foam which increases the
surface area to thousand fold and also offers very adsorption capacity of activated carbon. This
combination of high surface area and adsorption capacity of activated carbon leads to very fast and
stable colonization of carrier material with micro organisms. The presence of activated carbon also
helps in adsorption of toxic and inhibitory substances on the activated carbon fixed on carriers
surface reducing its bulk liquid concentration. This eventually stabilizes the process in the reactor
and as Levapor facilitates development of specialized microbial strains for the degradation of these
toxic/inhibitory substances, their removal from the effluent stream becomes feasible and more
efficient compared to conventional suspended growth based and plastic media based processes.
Internal Porosity:
PU foam matrix provides higher internal porosity in the form of fine pore structure which enables
growth of micro organisms within the internal pores of Levapor carriers and thus prevents them
against toxic shock loads and excessive shear forces imparted due to aeration equipments.
The fine pore structure of the foam also provides thinner film geometries compared to conventional
plastic media which allows for better diffusion gradients for substrate and nutrients resulting in
optimal mass transfer efficiencies. This in turn improves the transport of substrate and nutrients to
inner parts of the biofilm and thus increases the process performance.
Fast wetting and water binding surface:
Levapor carriers have fast wetting and binding surface due to hydrophilic nature of PU foam which
provides faster colonization, better fluidization and homogenization capacity which results in faster
process start ups, lower energy consumption for mixing and maintenance of healthy biological
activity. The better fluidization also helps maintaining good mass transfer gradients across the
carriers.


What are the advantages of Levapor carriers?
Faster process start ups
High performance (50 to 400 %) compared to suspended growth based systems
Lower degree of filling required (only 12-15% )
Remarkable process stability
Degradation of persistence and difficult to bio degrade pollutants
Lower sludge production and better settling properties of sludge
Lower energy consumption for mixing
Smaller foot print
Higher aeration efficiency due to application of fine bubble diffuser system
Reduced head losses due to coarse retention screen designs
What are the areas of application for Levapor carriers?
Over the years, Levapor carriers have been successfully utilised for the treatment of complex and
difficult to biodegrade effluents from different industries. The principle areas of applications are:
Anaerobic pre treatment of complex and persistent industrial effluents generating from
pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides manufacturing industries
Nitrification-Denitrification of effluents containing high ammonia concentrations and
inhibitory substances
Treatment of hyper saline and high solvent containing effluents
Treatment of AOX, BTX and PAHs from ground water and toxic effluents
Treatment of landfill leachate
MBBR/IFAS Wastewater Treatment plants
Polluted Gas Treatment using Bio Trickling Filter


What are the physical properties of Levapor carriers ?
Various physical properties of Levapor carriers are summarised as below:
Physical Property Value
Delivery Size 20 X 20 X 7 mm
40 X 40 X 40 mm
Porosity 75 to 90%
Surface Area In excess of 20,000 m2/m3

What is the surface area of Levapor carriers?
Surface area of Levapor carriers is the result of:
Surface of PU foam which is 2500 m2/m3
Surface of the activated carbon which is 1000 to 2000 m2/g.
The combination of PU foam and activated carbon thus results in a total BET surface area of 3.34
million m2/m3. However, only a small fraction of this total surface area is colonized but still it is
extremely higher than conventional plastic media.

Fig. 1. Delivery form of LEVAPOR Carriers

What degree of filling is required for LEVAPOR Carriers ?
Due to high adsorption capacity and surface area of LEVAPOR carriers, the degree of filling required
will vary between 12-15%.
What is the stability of Levapor carriers against mechanical and chemical resistance?
Levapor carriers are made of reinforced, abrasion resistant PU foams with a bulk density higher than
usual foams used in packaging or furniture industry and thus offer excellent mechanical resistance.
However, during the plant operation, due to pitting against one another and reactor walls and also
depending upon the aeration intensity, the carriers could loss 1-3% of carbon pigments and foam
matrix after several years of operation. We have observed an average life of 10-12 years for Levapor
carriers based on the above mentioned factors and effluent composition.
PU foams are basically of two types : 1) Poly Ether based and 2) Poly Ester based. The Poly Ether
based PU foam are very much stable against hydrolysis while poly ester based foams are less stable
against hydrolysis.
Levapor carriers are based on Poly Ether based PU foams which are very much stable against
hydrolysis. However, certain solvents like chloroform and DCM cause swelling of the PU foams and
affect their dimensional stability. While treating effluents containing such solvents, enough care
must be taken to provide enough HRT so that they can be effectively biodegraded and thus their
enrichment/precipitation on the surface could be avoided.

How long will it take for complete wetting, fluidization and colonization of Levapor carriers?
Normally it takes 1 to 3 days for complete wetting and fluidization of dry carriers. Once they are wet,
using inoculation of acclimatized sludge or micro organisms, the colonization of carriers takes place
within hours. We have observed good COD removal efficiencies within days of starting a new plant.
However, the required COD removal and nitrification establishment may take some time depending
upon the effluent composition and site temperatures.

Fig. 2 : Fluidized LEVAPOR Carriers in reactor

How biofilm thickness and performance is controlled with Levapor carriers?
The thickness of the biofilm will depend on the concentration and structure of the dissolved
substrate present in the effluent. Apart from biofilms, micro organisms also grow as discrete
colonies within the internal pores of Levapor carriers. However, the performance of biofilm does not
depend on the thickness of the film but rather on the activity of the fixed micro organisms present in
the biofilm. Due to specific properties of Levapor carriers, a very high amount of active micro
organisms are retained on the carrier material which results in higher process efficiencies and
performance.
Biofilms are controlled due to turbulent energy of fluidization and aeration intensity. As the biomass
becomes dead, it cant stay on the carrier material and will be washed out with the bulk liquid
leaving the reactor.

Fig. 3 SEM View of Colonized Carriers with immobilized micro organisms on it
As the PU foam has very fine pore structure, Will it not get clogged due to biofilm?
As mentioned above, the dead biomass cant remain in the biofilm and thus will be washed out with
the bulk liquid which subsequently will be removed in the secondary clarifier.
Will inorganic salts like Fe,Ca precipitate on the carrier material and clog it?
Depending upon their concentration in the effluent, in organic salts like Fe,Ca will become part of
the bio film and will wash out with the dead biomass. Based on excessive concentration and effluent
pH, they could precipitate on the carrier material. It has been observed that, the presence of calcium
aids biofilm settling properties when present in sufficient quantity and at desired pH range of
biological wastewater treatment. However, when present in excessive quantity of 2000 mg/lit or
more, it will form filamentous precipitate on the carrier material which is true for all type of carriers.
What is the role of Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) in Levapor carriers?
The impregnation of PU foam with PAC results in superior properties providing many benefits for the
application of Levapor carriers:
Faster microbial colonization and biofilm generation
Adsorption of toxic pollutants and reducing the toxicity of the medium
Faster process start up and stable processes over long period of time which can withstand
shock loads
Lower filling (12-15%) compared to alternative plastic and unmodified PU carriers
Better degradation of difficult to bio degrade pollutants
Removal of odour and foul smell from the reactor

As the pollutants adsorb on the activated carbon, Will it not reduce the adsorbing capacity of the
PAC and also the biological activity?
As the pollutants adsorbed on the Levapor carriers would be continuously biodegraded by the micro
organisms present in the biofilm, the adsorbing capacity of the PAC will be continuously self
regenerated by the activity of these micro organisms. However, due to adsorption of salts and non
biodegradable metabolites, after certain time the adsorption capacity of PAC present on LEVAPOR
may partially reduced but due to higher biological activity within the Bio film present on the carriers,
We have not observed performance losses due to adsorption of salts on the carriers.
How can one determine whether the carriers are colonized and performing well or not? How do I
measure the activity of biofilm in the reactor?
Due to presence of higher amount of live and active micro organisms in the biofilm developed on
LEVAPOR carriers, the amount of oxygen consumed by carriers + suspended biomass will be higher
than that of suspended phase biomass only. By measuring Oxygen Uptake Rate(OUR) with and
without carriers for the MLSS present in the aerobic reactor, the activity of the biomass present on
the LEVAPOR carriers can be quantified.
The OUR of carriers + suspended phase biomass shall be higher than the OUR of suspended phase
biomass only.
0,0
100,0
200,0
300,0
400,0
500,0
600,0
700,0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Messung
OUR (mgO
2
/LxMin.)x1000
immob.+susp.Biomasse
suspend.Anteil d.Biomasse

Fig 4: OUR comparison between LEVAPOR+ suspended Biomass versus suspended phase biomass
only.


Do LEVAPOR carriers enable specific biodegradation mechanism for specific pollutant removal?
YES, Due to high adsorbing capacity and porosity of LEVAPOR carriers:
Hazardous, inhibitory pollutants become adsorbed on the carriers surface and reducing their
bulk liquid concentration and thus their inhibitory effects on the micro organisms
Further, within the biofilm developed on LEVAPOR carriers, specialized strains of micro
organisms are developed responsible for the degradation of the pollutant enabling their
removal.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
conc.(mM)
2-CA-immobil.
0 hr.
240 hr
2-CA susp.org.
Cl
-
released
adsorption on
LEVAPOR

How effective is the application of LEVAPOR Carriers in reducing the foot print of the biological
wastewater treatment process?
Depending upon the type of effluent, its composition, treatment targets and temperature, the
application of LEVAPOR carriers can reduce the size of biological wastewater treatment plant
significantly.
During our application with a Pulp and Paper Mill Effluent anaerobic treatment, We observed that to
achieve a COD of 1000 mg/lit for the effluent from anaerobic reactor, the size of the anaerobic
reactor with LEVAPOR carriers was reduced to just 15,000 m3 compared to 65,000 m3 for
suspended growth only Anaerobic reactor to achieve desired COD reduction. (See Fig. 6 )
For, our NINGAN , China, 20 MLD installation for municipal wastewater nitrification, We have
observed that just with 3200 m3 of reactor volume, We are able to achieve stable and efficient
nitrification under adverse winter conditions with lowest water temperature of 5 Degree C (-24
Degree C ambient temperature) with greater than 85% COD reduction for the plant. The plant is
consistently meeting Grade-I requirement of Chinese nutrient and COD discharge standards. The
above application would require atleast 15,000-20,000 m3 of suspended growth based only reactor
to achieve same amount of nitrification and COD reduction.
Fig.5 Biodegradation of 1000 mg/L
(7,8 mM) of 2-Chloroaniline (2-CA)
by suspended LEVAPOR fixed
microorganisms

COD
effl.

1.500 susp. cells immob. cells
1 st. immob. cells
2 st.

1.000

500

0 0,65 2,35 3,57 g COD
L x d
Effect of immobilization on COD effl. in the
anaerobic treatment of pulp bleaching effluents

Fig 6: Impact of LEVAPOR Carriers on the size of Anaerobic reactor for Pulp and Paper Mill
Bleaching Effluent
How stable is the LEVAPOR based biological reactors performance against toxic shock loadings?
Due to higher adsorption capacity and internal porosity, LEVAPOR carriers protect the micro
organisms immobilized on the carriers very well against toxic shock loading.
During the full scale start up of Anaerobic plant for Pulp and Paper Mill Bleaching effluent, two of
the three reactors were started using LEVAPOR carriers while the third reactor was started without
carriers in it with suspended growth biomass only so that the effectiveness of carrier addition could
be confirmed further.
After few days of start up, a toxic shock loading event occurred at the plant with high amount of AOX
concentration in the bleaching effluent. The suspended growth based reactor was collapsed totally
and never recovered to the required performance while LEVAPOR carriers based reactors operation
remain stable despite toxic shock loads (See Fig 7.)

Vana:65,000m3
Vana:20,000m3
Vana: 15,000m3

Fig. 7 Impact of toxic shock loads on the performance of LEVAPOR based Anaerobic Reactor and
suspended growth only reactors.

Our NINGAN, China 20 MLD installation which is in operation from last four years, observed very
high fluctuation of COD and TKN loading during summer 2013. For a period of 10 days from May 5 to
May 22
nd
2013, the COD at the inlet increased in the range of 401.4 to 516 mg/lit which is almost 1.3
to 1.5 times higher than the designed COD values. Despite such higher fluctuations the overall COD
values of effluent remained between 38-42 mg/lit which corresponds to 90-91.8% COD reduction.
During the month of June the Total Nitrogen Concentration at the plant spiked to as high as 55
mg/lit during most of the days with an average TKN value of 40 mg/lit at the inlet. However, despite
such a high increase in the TKN values, the NH4.N values at the outlet remained < 3-5 ppm with a
lowest value of 0.72 mg/lit NH4.N. The TKN values were always observed between 10 to 17 ppm at
the outlet which indicated simultaneous nitrification and denitrification occurring at the plant.
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41
susp.biomass
May 90 June 90
immob. biomass
kgCOD/m x day

Fig 8 Inlet COD fluctuation and effluent COD trend at NINGAN plant during may 9 to 22
nd
2013.

Fig. 9 Inlet TN Concentration and NH4.N,TN trend in the effluent During June 2013 at NINGAN.

What type of Aeration system We can use with LEVAPOR carriers?
We can use fine bubble diffuser aeration system with LEVAPOR carriers. Due to the larger size of
plastic carriers which cause coalescence of air bubbles, even if one uses fine bubble diffuser system
with them, the overall efficiency of the aeration system is reduced. Thus, for all type of plastic media
based biological reactors, coarse or medium sized diffuser systems are used for aeration which are
low in efficiency. While due to fine pore structure and physical shape of the LEVAPOR carriers along
with lower degree of filling, fine bubble aeration system can be used without loss of aeration
efficiency due to loss of bubble size.
Is LEVAPOR application in Biological wastewater treatment energy saving?
Due to better fluidization properties and light weight of colonized carriers, the amount of mixing
energy required for LEVAPOR carriers is quite less compared to conventional plastic based media
and thus LEVAPOR offers distinct advantage of saving in terms of aeration energy. Moreover, due to
better mass transfer efficiency across fine pore structure of the carriers, the aerobic reactors based
on LEVAPOR carriers can be operated at bulk DO concentration as close as to that of Conventional
Activated Sludge system while conventional plastic media based aerobic reactors require bulk liquid
DO concentrations in the range of 3-5 mg/lit to facilitate efficient COD reduction and Nitrification.
The amount of higher bulk DO requirement increases the aeration capacity significantly and thus
also increases the power consumption.
What type of clarifiers can be use with LEVAPOR based reactors?
The excess sludge generated from LEVAPOR based reactors has excellent settling properties and
thus conventional secondary clarifiers can be utilised with LEVAPOR based aerobic reactors to
achieve good quality of effluent in terms of solids separation. However, if space is restraint then
advanced clarifiers like Lamella/Plate and Tube type settlers also can be incorporated with LEVAPOR
based systems.
What size of retention screens required for LEVAPOR Carriers?
Using a retention screen of 8-10 mm sieve, LEVAPOR carriers can be retained within the reactor. The
shape of the retention screen would depend upon the type of reactor design and flow configuration.
Due to larger size of sieve energy loss due to headloss is minimal with LEVAPOR carriers compared to
plastic media which requires fine screens of 5- 7 mm size.

Fig 10. Settling Properties of Sludge Biomass from LEVAPOR Based aerobic reactor
What is the difference between LEVAPOR and other carriers offered in the market?
The comparison between LEVAPOR, plastic and other material based carriers can be made on the
basis of their size, surface area, internal porosity, adsorption and adhesion capacity, weight and thus
fluidization energy required along with type of aeration system which can be used with the carrier
material. During the development of LEVAPOR carriers various organic and in organic materials with
varying degree physical properties and their applicability for biological wastewater treatment was
compared and it was found that modified PU foam based LEVAPOR carriers are the most efficient
carriers for biological wastewater treatment application.


Atribute LEVAPOR Unmodified PUR-
foam
Plastic carriers
total surface (m/m)
adsorbing capacity
required reactor filling
porosity
wetting
water uptake
ionic charge
colonisation by microbes
full fluidization at gas upflow
carrier retention
aeration
more energy for fluidization
excess sludge removal
variability of properties
up to 20.000
very high
12 to 15 %
75 to 90 %
0 - 3 days
up to 250 %
+ to -
60 to 90 min.
4 to 7 (m/mxh)
8-10 mm sieves
fine bubble aeration
not required
by fluidization
very variable

up to 2500
moderate
20 to 40 %
75 to 90 %
several weeks
- remarkably lower
- non variable
- several weeks
n.d.
8-10 mm sieves
fine bubble aeration
yes, at > 20-25% filling)
n.d.
quite narrow

300 to 900
low
30 to 70 %
50 75 %
several weeks
- negligible
- no
- several weeks
coarse bubble aeration
screens
coarse bubble aeration
yes, coarse bubble aer.
by fluidization
negligible

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