Pilot-Scale Evaluation of Denitrification Drainage Bioreactors: Reactor Geometry and Performance
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 4
Abstract
Denitrification drainage bioreactors are emerging as an innovative practice to address water quality concerns stemming from nitrate leaching from drained agricultural lands. Although installation of these systems has begun in farms in the midwestern United States, the understanding of their design and in-field performance remains deficient. This study utilized a set of pilot-scale drainage bioreactors to evaluate the impact of bioreactor geometry on reactor hydraulic properties and to determine nitrate removal under steady-state conditions and during a simulated storm event. Bioreactors with different cross-sectional geometries but similar depths and total volumes were evaluated. The percent reduction of the influent nitrate mass was linearly correlated to the theoretical hydraulic retention time (HRT) with 30 to 70% removals observed within the 4 to 8 h of retention time suggested for field installations. Tracer tests revealed that in situ HRTs were at least 1.5 times larger than theoretical HRTs.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by the UNSPECIFIEDLeopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and a UNSPECIFIEDSigma Xi Grant in Aid of Research to LEC. The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Carl Pedersen, Reid Christianson, Chris Strunk, Mark Weber, Ryan Nelson, and Scott Jacobsen with reactor installation, maintenance, and sampling.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 4 • April 2011
Pages: 213 - 220
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 3, 2010
Accepted: Aug 19, 2010
Published online: Mar 15, 2011
Published in print: Apr 1, 2011
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