The LEVAPOR MBBR/IFAS process uses proprietary porous carriers made of polyurethane foam impregnated with activated carbon and pigments. This carrier material has high surface area and porosity for optimal microbial growth. The process can be used to improve various wastewater treatment applications like BOD/COD removal, nitrification, and nutrient removal. It works by combining fixed film and suspended growth technologies by adding carriers to conventional activated sludge tanks, allowing biomass to grow on the carriers. This hybrid configuration provides advantages like higher biomass retention, smaller footprint, lower sludge production, and improved settling compared to suspended-only systems.

1. LEVAPOR
MBBR/IFAS PROCESS
Contact: Dr. Imre Pascik : levapor@web.de
; Amit Christian : levapor.india@gmail.com

2. LEVAPOR MBBR /IFAS Process:
Levapor MBBR/IFAS process is based on proprietary porous, adsorbing PU carriers
impregnated with activated carbon and surface active pigments for high adsorbent
capacity and high internal porosity with extremely large surface are for optimal
growth of micro organisms for biological wastewater treatment.
PROCESS APPLICATION:
The LEVAPOR MBBR/IFAS process can be applied to various biological wastewater
treatment applications:

Increasing existing plant pollutant removal and flow capacity

BOD/COD removal

Nitrification for ammonia removal

Total-N and Total-P removal

Biodegradation of persistent and difficult to degrade pollutants
HOW IT WORKS:
IFAS, Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) also known as CFAS
(Combined Fixed Film Activated Sludge) process is a combination of two
fundamental biological wastewater treatment technologies namely fixed film growth
and suspended growth technology.
In the IFAS/CFAS process, fixed film media/carriers are added to the conventional
activated sludge system aeration tank which allows growth of biomass on it. The
growth of micro organisms on the attached phase enables significant increase in the
biomass in the aeration tank increasing the SRT of the system without increase of
recycled sludge flow rate.
This hybrid configuration of suspended as well as attached growth technologies
combines distinct advantages of both the technologies which are:
 Retention of higher biomass in the system rendering higher loading rates and
improved process stability
 Smaller foot print
 Lower sludge production compared to suspended growth only system
Contact: Dr. Imre Pascik : levapor@web.de
; Amit Christian : levapor.india@gmail.com

3.  Improved settling characteristics of sludge
 Lower solids loading rate to secondary clarifiers and thus improving their
performance and operation
 Improved process recovery from upsets
Inlet
wastewater
Effluent
Clarifier
Aeration tank with Levapor media
Return Activated Sludge Line
Waste Sludge
LEVAPOR TECHNOLOGY:
The LEVAPOR MBBR/IFAS technology offers economical, efficient, compact and
most resilient biological wastewater treatment process solutions for plant up
gradation, nitrogen removal and wastewater reuse.
Carrier adsorbent capacity, higher internal porosity, higher wetting and fluidization
properties along with lower weight are critical to achieve faster colonization,
protection of biomass, higher mass transfer, better mixing and homogenization
capacity and reduced energy consumption.
Contact: Dr. Imre Pascik : levapor@web.de
; Amit Christian : levapor.india@gmail.com

4. Our unique carriers made of flexible, durable, porous, light weight PU foam
impregnated with activated carbon have been designed to achieve these properties
for optimal performance of biological processes.
PRINCIPLE CHARACTERISTICS:

LEVAPOR MBBR/IFAS systems were developed to produce optimal
conditions for the growth of specific micro organisms responsible for efficient
removal of pollutants achieving higher removal rates with smaller foot prints.

The combination of optimum properties achieved through impregnation of PU
foam matrix with activated carbon along with surface active pigments makes
LEVAPOR carriers the most suitable carriers for MBBR/IFAS application.

A cuboid configuration of 20X 7 X 7 mm allows flexibility to use sieves of
higher sizes (8-10 mm) preventing head loss in the system. Moreover, light
weight of colonized carriers (65-80 kg/m3) compared to plastic media reduces
mixing energy requirement drastically offering significant energy savings.

The hydrophilic nature of PU foam renders fast wetting properties and higher
fluidization capacity allowing for better homogenization and optimal mass
transfer efficiencies of substrate and nutrients across the PU carrier matrix.

The impregnation of activated carbon allows for adsorption of toxic and
inhibitory substances on it which provides remarkable process stability against
toxic shock loadings and also minimizes bad odour and fouling problems
drastically. The impregnation also facilitates faster colonization of carrier
material reducing start up times for processes.

High internal porosity of PU carriers makes the process highly resilient to flow
and pollutant loading variations protecting biomass against adverse
conditions.
Contact: Dr. Imre Pascik : levapor@web.de
; Amit Christian : levapor.india@gmail.com

5. LEVAPOR CARRIERS
COLONIZED CARRIERS
LEVAPOR ADVANTAGES:

Lower Degree of reactor filling (only 12-15%)

Smaller foot print

Faster process start ups

remarkable process stability

Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification

Lower Sludge production and better sludge settling and dewatering properties

Lower energy consumption for mixing

Protection against shock loading

Lower bad odour and fouling problems
Contact: Dr. Imre Pascik : levapor@web.de
; Amit Christian : levapor.india@gmail.com

6. COMPARISON DIFFERENT CARRIER MATERIALS
Property
LEVAPOR
total surface (m²/m³)
adsorbing capacity
required degree of reactor filling
Unmodified PUR-foam
up to 20,000
up to 2500
Plastic carriers
300 to 1200
very high
moderate
low
12 to 15 %
75 to 90 %
20 to 40 %
75 to 90 %
30 to 70 %
porosity
wetting
immediately / 1- 3 days
water uptake
up to 250 %
ionic charge
+ to colonisation by microbes
60 to 90 min.
full fluidization at gas upflow
4 to 7 (m³/m²xh)
carrier retention
8-10 mm sieves
aeration
fine bubble aeration
additional energy for fluidization
not required
excess sludge removal
by fluidization
variability of properties
very variable
Contact: Dr. Imre Pascik : levapor@web.de
up to 3 months
- remarkably lower
- non variable
- several weeks
n.d.
8-10 mm sieves
fine bubble aeration
required ( > 20-25% filling)
n.d.
quite narrow
50 – 75 %
months (after colonisation)
- negligible
no
several weeks to months
via coars bubble aeration
screens
coarse bubble
because of coarse bubbles
by fluidization
negligible
; Amit Christian : levapor.india@gmail.com