Comparison of Luffa Cylindrical Sponge and Plastic Sponge as Carriers in Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor for Sewage Treatment

Luffa cylindrical sponge and plastic sponge were used as carriers in sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) for sewage treatment in this paper. The removals of suspended solid (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH3-N in sewage were studied. The average removal efficiencies of SS, COD and NH3-N with luffa cylindrical sponge were 96%, 89% and 90%, respectively, while these with plastic sponge were 94%, 83% and 80%, respectively. As a natural, cheap and environment friendly biocarrier, luffa cylindrical sponge was easy to get a biofilm with enriched microbes during the first few days of sewage treatment. It was much more suitable as a carrier than the plastic sponge for SBBR.