Fabrication of a PETG-Based Biocarrier Using Additive Manufacturing for Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) Applications

The moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) has been identified as a promising method for reducing water pollution. Biocarriers are important in MBBR treatment processes because they provide surface area for biofilm attachment and improve treatment efficiency. These biocarriers use decomposing microorganisms attached to their surface and have been developed in a variety of shapes, materials, and procedures. This study aims to create a biocarrier using an additive manufacturing process and a PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol) filament as its material. The biocarrier's pore size plays a crucial role in determining its effectiveness for biofilm attachment and treatment efficiency. By modifying the net diameter of the biocarrier's design, we aimed to investigate the impact of different pore sizes on these factors. We experimented with fabricating three different sizes of the biocarrier's pore by modifying three different sizes of the net diameter of the biocarrier's design: type 1 is 1.8 ± 0.22 mm, type 2 is 1.0 ± 0.29 mm, and type 3 is 0.8 ± 0.27 mm. This research provides insights for the next step: evaluating biofilms' attachment efficiency on each type of biocarrier and comparing their performance.