Corn cobs increase the efficiency of nitrate removal in bioreactors

Field research has proven the high effectiveness of using corn cobs for the removal of nitrates from agricultural wastewater. This material is proposed as an alternative to traditional wood chips, which are typically placed in underground bioreactor trenches to filter water before it reaches water bodies.

Experimental results showed that bioreactors filled with a mixture consisting of 75 percent corn cobs purify runoff significantly faster than conventional systems. The rate of nitrate removal with this composition increases in the range of 1.6 to 10 times. In addition to accelerating the purification process, switching to corn cobs allows for a reduction in system operating costs, as this agricultural byproduct is widely available in the Midwest regions.