This paper reports the results obtained using the sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor (SBBGR) for
the treatment of the wastewater from a dyeing and finishing factory. The treatment of such a wastewater
is challenging as it usually contains considerable amounts of different recalcitrant, toxic and inhibitory
pollutants, which results in low biodegradability and in the need for numerous treatment steps. Different
operational conditions were tested in order to assess SBBGR performance as a function of the applied
organic and hydraulic load and to verify its suitability for on-site dyeing wastewater treatment at each
factory. The reported measurements demonstrate how this innovative biological technology exhibits
various promising features for this purpose, as good treatment efficiencies can be achieved even at high
organic load values (2.4e2.6 kgCOD m3 d1) and with hydraulic retention times lower than one day.
Furthermore, the treatment is characterized by a sludge production as low as 0.1 kg of dry sludge per kg
of COD removed. Therefore, SBBGR has proved to be an effective pre-treatment for dyeing textile
wastewater before discharge into municipal sewer system, as it produces a suitable effluent using just
only one biological step with high hydraulic and organic loadings and low sludge production