Method of biofiltration of a liquid effluent

1. A method for purifying a liquid effluent containing ammoniacal nitrogen, with or without nitrates, by simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, said method comprising the adding of oxygen with a flow rate varying from 0.1 to 0.66 m 3 /m 2 .hour to a trickling biofilter in order to recuperate a substantially purified effluent at an outlet of the biofilter.

2. A method according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:

i) feeding the liquid effluent to be purified to an entrance of the biofilter at a level of nitrogen load varying between 0.01 and 0.04 kg TKN/m 2 .day and a carbon load varying between 0.05 and 0.15 kg BOD 5 /m 2 .day;

ii) performing said oxygen addition according to said flow rate; and

iii) recuperating a substantially purified effluent at the outlet of the biofilter.

3. The method according to claim 1 , to purify a liquid effluent containing ammoniacal nitrogen, with or without nitrates, wherein said trickling biofilter is provided with a filtering medium supporting microorganisms capable of lowering the content of ammoniacal nitrogen of the liquid effluent in the presence of oxygen, and microorganisms capable of denitrifying the liquid effluent under substantially anoxic conditions.

4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:

i) feeding the liquid effluent being purified to an entrance of the biofilter while adjusting the nitrogen load between 0.01 and 0.04 kg TKN/m 2 .day;

I′) optionally, adding to the effluent a carbon source at a predetermined load depending on the quantity of TKN initially contained in the effluent;

ii) performing said oxygen addition according to said flow rate; and

iii) recuperating a substantially purified effluent at the outlet of the biofilter.

5. A method according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:

i) feeding the liquid effluent being purified to an entrance of the biofilter while adjusting the overall nitrogen load between 0.01 and 0.055 kg TKN+NO 3 /m 2 .day;

I′) optionally, adding to the effluent a carbon source at a predetermined dosage depending on the overall quantity of nitrogen (TKN+NO 3 ) initially contained in the effluent;

I″) letting the effluent trickle through the filtering medium in contact with the carbon source to promote the denitrification of the effluent;

ii) performing said oxygen addition to the effluent treated at step ii′) according to said flow rate;

ii′) letting the effluent trickle through the filtering medium in contact with the oxygen to lower the content of ammoniacal nitrogen in the effluent; and

iii) recuperating a substantially purified liquid effluent at the outlet of the biofilter.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the effluent substantially purified contains between 0 and 200 mg/L of nitrogen in the form of N—NO 2 and N—NO 3 .

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the effluent substantially purified contains between 0 and 150 mg/L of nitrogen in the form of N—NO 2 and N—NO 3 .

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the effluent substantially purified contains less than 100 mg/L of nitrogen in the form of N—NO 2 and N—NO 3 .

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the effluent substantially purified contains between 0 and 200 mg/L of TKN.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the effluent substantially purified contains between 0 and 150 mg/L of TKN.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the effluent substantially purified contains less than 100 mg/L of TKN.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the oxygen is furnished in the form of: pure oxygen or a gas containing oxygen.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the oxygen is furnished in the form of air at a rate varying between 0.5 and 3.3 m 3 /m 2 .hour.

14. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the nitrogen load level at step i) varies between 0.015 and 0.035 kg TKN/m 2 .day; the load level of carbon source at step i) varies between 0.08 and 0.15 kg BOD 5 /m 2 .day; and the oxygen source is in the form of air and the aeration rate at step ii) varies between 1.0 and 3.0 m 3 /m 2 .hour.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the nitrogen load level at step i) varies between 0.02 and 0.035 kg TKN/m 2 .day; the load level of carbon source at step i) varies between 0.08 and 0.12 kg BOD 5 /m 2 .day; and the aeration rate at step ii) varies between 1.5 and 3.0 m 3 /m 2 .hour.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the nitrogen load level at step i) is set at about 0.029 kg TKN/m 2 .day; the load level of carbon source at step i) is set at about 0.1 kg BOD 5 /m 2 .day; and the aeration rate at step ii) is set at about 2.5 m 3 /m 2 .hour.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the filtration rate is between 0.01 and 0.3 m 3 /m 2 .day.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the aeration is continuous or intermittent.

19. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the filtering medium is at least one element selected from the group consisting of: pozzolana; peat; wood chips; gravel; and calcite.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said liquid effluent containing ammoniacal nitrogen, with or without nitrates, is liquid manure.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein said manure comes from the swine industry.

22. The method according to one of claims 4 or 5 , wherein the source of carbon load is selected from the group consisting of: whey, methanol, glucose or a liquid manure coming from the farming industry.