Combined advanced oxidation and biological treatment of tannery effluent

During leather processing in tanneries, considerable amount of wastes with organic and inorganic pollutants are generated. For removal of these pollutants and recovery of water, biological treatment methods and reverse osmosis (RO) based membrane technologies are adopted. While recovering water from treated tannery effluent using RO membranes, presence of residual organics, dye molecules, and other impurities in the effluent have been reported as the major drawback which leads to membrane fouling and failure. In this study, an attempt was made to improve the quality of the treated tannery effluent by subjecting the secondary treated tannery effluent by ozonation alone and ozonation of primary and secondary treated tannery effluent followed by aerobic biological Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR). Maximum color reduction of 98% at pH value of 12 with ozonation alone was observed for secondary treated tannery effluent. Ozonation of secondary treated tannery effluent followed by further biological treatment in aerobic SBR increased the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate and resulted in COD values less than 300 mg/L. In case of primary treated tannery effluent, maximum COD reduction of 64% was achieved in SBR.     

Chemical and physical treatments of chemical mechanical polishing wastewater from semiconductor fabrication

Wastewater from chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process of semiconductor fabrication was treated by physical methods. The CMP wastewater, as obtained from a large semiconductor manufacturer, was characterized by a high oxide particle content, high turbidity (NTU), and a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration up to 500 mg/l. Due to these characteristics, treatment of the CMP wastewater by either filtration or by traditional activated sludge method was inadequate. In the present work, physical methods consisting of chemical coagulation and reverse osmosis were employed to tackle the turbidity and COD problems. Experimental tests were conducted to assess the effectiveness of the treatment and to identify the optimum operating conditions. Test results clearly demonstrated the complementary advantages of the two methods. The treatment was capable of realizing over 99% oxide particle removal and lowering the wastewater COD to below 100 mg/l. The overall water quality of the final effluent was excellent and can be considered for reuse. Preliminary treatment of the RO retentate by ozonation was also attempted. The COD removal achieved in the ozonation was over 80% in an hour, rendering the treated RO retentate suitable for direct discharge.     

Degradation characteristics of secondary effluent of domestic wastewater by combined process of ozonation and biofiltration

The performance of the combined process of ozonation and biofiltration was studied for treating the secondary effluent from sewage treatment plant. It was found that COD, NH(3)-N, and TOC were removed from 40-52, 10-19, and 9-13 mg/L in the raw water to 18-23, 0.5-1.5, and 7-8.5 mg/L in the effluent water (removal efficiency were 58, 89, and 25%, respectively), respectively, with an ozone dose of 10 mg/L (0.7-1.1 mg O(3)/(mg TOC) and 0.2-0.25 mg O(3)/(mg COD)), and contacting time of 4 min. Under the operation conditions, ozonation enhanced the biodegradability of the organics in the secondary effluent, as illustrated by increasing biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) value from 0.8-1.1 mg/L in the raw water to the 2.0-2.7 mg/L in the effluent water. Meanwhile, the percentage of the organics with molecular size less than 1k Da in the secondary effluent increased from 52.9 to 72.6%. The experimental results supported the expectation that the combined process of O(3)/Biofiltration might enhance the overall treatment efficiency of secondary effluent treatment.     

Effects of ozonation process on lignin-derived compounds in pulp and paper mill effluents

The effect of ozonation process on pulp and paper mill effluents was investigated. The objectives were to: (1) identify various compounds in wastewater from a pulp and paper mill, (2) evaluate decolorization and organic removal efficiency by conventional bubble reactor and (3) evaluate the biodegradability at various progressive stages of ozonation. The qualitative GC/MS analyses were performed before and after the biological treatment and ozonation process. Two groups of compounds were observed in this wastewater: lignin-derived compounds and aliphatic compounds used in the pulp and paper production process (i.e. n-alkanes, fatty alcohols, fatty acid and ester). Treatment efficiency was measured by decolorization and TOC removal rates. Additionally, the utilization coefficient (k) and BOD/COD ratio were determined to observe the biodegradability of ozonized effluents. The results indicated that after 45 min, the ozonation of effluents yielded almost colorless effluent with over 90% decolorization efficiency and with corresponding ozone capacity rate of 20.0 mg O(3)L(-1). This decolorization was not always accompanied by the mineralization of the organic matters therefore ozonation was not related to TOC removal rates. The BOD/COD ratio increased from 0.10 to a maximum value of 0.32 with ozone flow rate (O/F) of 4.0 L min(-1). It was confirmed by the utilization coefficient as first order BOD equation, the magnitude k value increased from 0.21 day(-1) to maximum value of 0.47 day(-1) as the ozonation time was raised to 60 min with O/F 4.0 L min(-1).     

Degradation of recalcitrant compounds from stabilized landfill leachate using a combination of ozone-GAC adsorption treatment

Laboratory experiments were undertaken to investigate the treatment performances of ozonation alone and/or its combination with granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption for raw leachate from the NENT landfill (in Hong Kong). To improve its removal of recalcitrant contaminants from the leachate, the surface of GAC was oxidized with ozone prior to treatment. With respect to ozone dose and pH, the removal of COD and/or NH(3)-N from ozonation alone and combined ozone-GAC adsorption were evaluated and compared to those of other physico-chemical treatments in some reported studies. The removal mechanism of recalcitrant compounds by ozone-GAC adsorption treatment was presented. Among the various treatments studied, the combination of ozone-GAC adsorption using ozone-modified GAC had the highest removal for COD (86%) and/or NH(3)-N (92%) compared to ozonation alone (COD: 35%; NH(3)-N: 50%) at the same initial COD and/or NH(3)-N concentrations of 8000 and 2620 mg/L, respectively. Although the integrated treatment was more effective than ozonation alone for treating stabilized leachate, the results suggested that it could not generate treated effluent that complied with the COD limit of lower than 200 mg/L and the NH(3)-N discharge standard of less than 5 mg/L. Therefore, further biological treatments to complement the degradation of the leachate are still required to meet the environmental legislation.     

Contribution to the study of electrocoagulation mechanism in basic textile effluent

Electrocoagulation method with iron electrode is used to treat the industrial textile wastewater in batch reactor. The effects of operating parameters such as time and potential electrolysis on the decolourization and COD removal efficiency have been investigated. The results indicate that electrocoagulation is very efficient and able to achieve 100% colour and 84% COD removal in 3 min at potential 600 mV. The effluent wastewater is very clear and its quality exceed the direct discharge standard. Furthermore, the mechanism of electrocoagulation is elucidated by zeta potential measurement.     

Treatability of a simulated disperse dye-bath by ferrous iron coagulation, ozonation, and ferrous iron-catalyzed ozonation

Dyeing and finishing of textile yarns and fabrics are extremely important processes in terms of both quality and environmental concerns. Among the commercial textile dyes, particularly disperse dyestuffs are of environmental interest because of their widespread use, their potential for formation of toxic aromatic amines and their low removal rate during aerobic waste treatment as well as advanced chemical oxidation. Thus, in the present paper ferrous iron coagulation, ozonation and ferrous iron-catalyzed ozonation were employed at varying pH (3-13) and Fe(II)-ion doses (0.09-18mM) for the treatment of a simulated disperse dye-bath (average initial apparent color as absorbance at 566nm=815.4m(-1); COD(0)=3784mgl(-1); TOC(0)=670mgl(-1); BOD(5,0)=58mgl(-1)) that more closely resembled an actual dyehouse effluent than an aqueous disperse dye solution. Coagulation with 5000mgl(-1) FeSO4-7H2O (18mM Fe(2+)) at pH 11 removed up to 97% color and 54% COD, whereas oxidation via ozonation alone (applied ozone dose=2300mgl(-1)) was only effective at pH 3, resulting in 77% color and 11% COD removal. Fe(II)-ion-catalyzed ozonation (3.6mM Fe(2+) at pH 3; Fe(2+):O3 molar ratio 1:14) eliminated 95% color and 48% COD and appeared to be the most attractive option among the investigated chemical treatment methods as for its applicability at the natural acidic pH of the disperse dye-bath effluent and at relatively low Fe(2+)-ion doses as compared to ferrous sulfate coagulation. However, no TOC reduction was observable for ozonation and catalytic ozonation at the investigated reaction conditions (14gl(-1) O3 at pH 3). An average six-fold enhancement in the biodegradability parameter of the synthetic dye wastewater expressed in terms of the BOD(5)/COD ratio could be achieved by the investigated chemical treatment methods.     

Physico-chemical treatments for removal of recalcitrant contaminants from landfill leachate

In this paper, the technical applicability and treatment performance of physico-chemical techniques (individual and/or combined) for landfill leachate are reviewed. A particular focus is given to coagulation-flocculation, chemical precipitation, ammonium stripping, membrane filtration and adsorption. The advantages and limitations of various techniques are evaluated. Their operating conditions such as pH, dose required, characteristics of leachate in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH3-N concentration and treatment efficiency are compared. It is evident from the survey of 118 papers (1983-2005) that none of the individual physico-chemical techniques is universally applicable or highly effective for the removal of recalcitrant compounds from stabilized leachate. Among the treatments reviewed in this article, adsorption, membrane filtration and chemical precipitation are the most frequently applied and studied worldwide. Both activated carbon adsorption and nanofiltration are effective for over 95% COD removal with COD concentrations ranging from 5690 to 17,000 mg/L. About 98% removal of NH3-N with an initial concentration ranging from 3260 to 5618 mg/L has been achieved using struvite precipitation. A combination of physico-chemical and biological treatments has demonstrated its effectiveness for the treatment of stabilized leachate. Almost complete removal of COD and NH3-N has been accomplished by a combination of reverse osmosis (RO) and an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) with an initial COD concentration of 35,000 mg/L and NH3-N concentration of 1600 mg/L and/or RO and activated sludge with an initial COD concentration of 6440 mg/L and NH3-N concentration of 1153 mg/L. It is important to note that the selection of the most suitable treatment method for landfill leachate depends on the characteristics of landfill leachate, technical applicability and constraints, effluent discharge alternatives, cost-effectiveness, regulatory requirements and environmental impact.     

An integrated approach for enhanced textile dye degradation by pre-treatment combined biodegradation

The wastewater released by the textile industries affects aquatic, plant and human life. Though there are many conventional wastewater treatment techniques, interest on coupled treatment methods has increased in the recent times owing to their increased efficiency. In the present study, the textile wastewater was pre-treated by three different techniques, viz. sonication, photocatalysis and ozonation. Increasing the treatment time increased the biological oxygen demand to chemical oxygen demand (BOD/COD) ratio, and thus the biodegradability was about 0.6–0.73. Effluent pre-treated by photocatalysis showed relatively higher biodegradability compared to ozonation and sonication. The degradation of aromatic compounds due to pre-treatment was substantiated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy. Since pre-treatment increased the biodegradability of the effluents, further biological degradation using acclimatized sludge biomass resulted in COD removal efficiencies 94, 91 and 82 %, respectively, for photocatalysis, sonication and ozonation. The morphology of the organisms which played a major role during the degradation of pre-treated effluent was examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM).     

In situ electrocatalytic oxidation of acid violet 12 dye effluent

Electrochemical treatment of organic pollutants is a promising treatment technique for substances which are recalcitrant to biodegradation. Experiments were carried out to treat acid violet 12 dye house effluent using electrochemical technique for removal color and COD reduction covering wide range in operating conditions. Ruthenium/lead/tin oxide coated titanium and stainless steel were used as anode and cathode, respectively. The influence of effluent initial concentration, pH, supporting electrolyte and the electrode material on rate of degradation has been critically examined. The results indicate that the electrochemical method can be used to treat dye house effluents.     

Pre-treatment of penicillin formulation effluent by advanced oxidation processes

A variety of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs; O3/OH-, H2O2/UV, Fe2+/H2O2, Fe3+/H2O2, Fe2+/H2O2/UV and Fe3+/H2O2/UV) have been applied for the oxidative pre-treatment of real penicillin formulation effluent (average COD0 = 1395 mg/L; TOC0 = 920 mg/L; BOD(5,0) approximately 0 mg/L). For the ozonation process the primary involvement of free radical species such as OH* in the oxidative reaction could be demonstrated via inspection of ozone absorption rates. Alkaline ozonation and the photo-Fenton's reagents both appeared to be the most promising AOPs in terms of COD (49-66%) and TOC (42-52%) abatement rates, whereas the BOD5 of the originally non-biodegradable effluent could only be improved to a value of 100 mg/L with O3/pH = 3] treatment (BOD5/COD, f = 0.08). Evaluation on COD and TOC removal rates per applied active oxidant (AOx) and oxidant (Ox) on a molar basis revealed that alkaline ozonation and particularly the UV-light assisted Fenton processes enabling good oxidation yields (1-2 mol COD and TOC removal per AOx and Ox) by far outweighed the other studied AOPs. Separate experimental studies conducted with the penicillin active substance amoxicillin trihydrate indicated that the aqueous antibiotic substance can be completely eliminated after 40 min advanced oxidation applying photo-Fenton's reagent (pH = 3; Fe(2+):H2O2 molar ratio = 1:20) and alkaline ozonation (at pH = 11.5), respectively.     

Biological treatability of raw and ozonated penicillin formulation effluent

In the present study, oxidative pre-treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater originating from the formulation of the penicillin Sultamycillin Tosylate Diydrate via ozonation at varying pH and ozone feed rates was investigated. Biological treatability studies were performed with a synthetic wastewater alone and supplemented with raw and ozonated penicillin formulation effluents. The highest COD (34%) and TOC (24%) removal efficiencies were obtained at pH 11.0, whereas the BOD5 value increased from 16 mg l(-1) to 128 mg l(-1) after 40 min of ozonation, corresponding to an applied ozone dose of 1670 mg l(-1) and 33% relative ozone absorption. The studies showed that no degradation of raw penicillin fraction (30% of total COD) occurred, and degradation of the synthetic wastewater being completely treatable without penicillin addition, was inhibited by 7%. Upon 40 min ozonation, the synthetic wastewater could be completely oxidized and at the same time 35% of ozonated penicillin wastewater removal was obtained. Respirometric studies were conducted in parallel and produced results indicating a 22% decrease in the total oxygen consumption rate established for raw penicillin formulation effluent compared to the results obtained from the aerobic batch reactor. No inhibition of the synthetic fraction was observed for the 40 min-ozonated penicillin formulation effluent, biodegradability of the 60 min-ozonated penicillin effluent decreased possibly due to recalcitrant oxidation product accumulation. The modeling study provided experimental support and information on inhibition kinetics in activated sludge model no. 3 (ASM3) by means of respirometric tests for the first time.     

Treatment of wastewater containing azo dye reactive brilliant red X-3B using sequential ozonation and upflow biological aerated filter process

In this work, the treatment of wastewater containing azo dye reactive brilliant red X-3B using sequential ozonation and upflow biological aerated filter process has been studied. Decolorization was almost complete after 120min with an ozone concentration of 34.08mg/L, the biological oxygen demand for 5 days (BOD5)/chemical oxygen demand (COD) ratio increased from 0.102 to 0.406, which was more effective for the subsequent upflow biological aerated filter (UBAF) to reduce COD concentration. Under the conditions of gas/liquid=3, hydraulic load=4.8m3/m3.d, T=20-25 degrees C, the mass ratio of ozone to dye=4.5, pH 11, the COD and color of the effluent were less than 40mg/L and 20 Pt-Co units, respectively, and the average decolorization and COD removal efficiency were 97% and 90%, respectively. The experimental results showed that the combination of ozone oxidation and upflow biological aerated filter was a promising technique to treat wastewater containing azo dye.     

Decomposition of dimethyl phthalate in an aqueous solution by ozonation with high silica zeolites and UV radiation

This study investigates the enhanced ozonation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), which is a pollutant of concern in water environments, with high silica zeolites and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Semibatch ozonation experiments are performed under various reaction conditions to examine the effects of inlet gas ozone concentration, high silica zeolite dosage, and UV radiation intensity on the decomposition of DMP. The complete removal of DMP can be efficiently achieved via both O(3) and O(3)/UV treatments. Note that the presence of high silica zeolites accelerates the decomposition rate of DMP in the O(3) process. On the other hand, the removal efficiencies of both chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbons (TOC) are significantly enhanced by employing the ozonation combined with UV radiation. The O(3)/UV process is also advantageous for the utilization efficiency of fed ozone especially in the late ozonation period. Furthermore, the correlation between the COD removal percentage (%) and the mole ratio of ozone consumed to the DMP treated (mol mol(-1)) is obtained. The clear-cut removal relationship of the TOC with COD during the ozonation of DMP has also been presented. Consequently, the results evaluate the flexibility of ozonation system associated with high silica zeolites and UV radiation for the removal of DMP and provide the useful information in engineering application.     

Electrochemical treatment of the effluent of a fine chemical manufacturing plant

In this work, the electrochemical oxidation of an actual industrial wastewater with conductive-diamond anodes has been studied. The wastewater is the effluent of a fine chemicals plant. This effluent consists of an aqueous solution of solvents (ketones and alcohols) with a high concentration of aromatic compounds coming from the raw materials, intermediates and products of the different processes of the plant and its COD is around 6000 mg dm(-3). The electrolyses were carried out in a discontinuous operation mode under galvanostatic conditions, using a bench-scale plant equipped with a single compartment electrochemical flow cell. The conductive-diamond electrochemical oxidation (CDEO) allowed achieving the complete mineralization of the waste with high current efficiencies. These efficiencies seem to strongly depend on the concentration, pH and temperature but not on the current density (in the range studied). This confirms that besides the hydroxyl radicals mediated oxidation, CDEO combines other important oxidation processes such as the direct electrooxidation on the diamond surface and the oxidation mediated by other electrochemically formed compounds generated on this electrode. Other two advanced oxidation processes (ozonation and Fenton oxidation) have been also studied in this work for comparison purposes. Both technologies were able to treat the wastes, but they obtained very different results in terms of efficiency and mineralization. The efficiency of ozonation and electrochemical oxidation were very similar (especially during the first stages), although the energy consumption required by the electrochemical process to remove at fixed percentage of COD or TOC was significantly smaller than that of ozonation. The possible accumulation of carboxylic acid as final products excludes the use of Fenton oxidation as a sole treatment technology.     

Improvement of COD and color removal from UASB treated poultry manure wastewater using Fenton's oxidation

The applicability of Fenton's oxidation as an advanced treatment for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color removal from anaerobically treated poultry manure wastewater was investigated. The raw poultry manure wastewater, having a pH of 7.30 (+/-0.2) and a total COD of 12,100 (+/-910) mg/L was first treated in a 15.7 L of pilot-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The UASB reactor was operated for 72 days at mesophilic conditions (32+/-2 degrees C) in a temperature-controlled environment with three different hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 15.7, 12 and 8.0 days, and with organic loading rates (OLR) between 0.650 and 1.783 kg COD/(m3day). Under 8.0 days of HRT, the UASB process showed a remarkable performance on total COD removal with a treatment efficiency of 90.7% at the day of 63. The anaerobically treated poultry manure wastewater was further treated by Fenton's oxidation process using Fe2+ and H2O2 solutions. Batch tests were conducted on the UASB effluent samples to determine the optimum operating conditions including initial pH, effects of H2O2 and Fe2+ dosages, and the ratio of H2O2/Fe2+. Preliminary tests conducted with the dosages of 100 mg Fe2+/L and 200 mg H2O2/L showed that optimal initial pH was 3.0 for both COD and color removal from the UASB effluent. On the basis of preliminary test results, effects of increasing dosages of Fe2+ and H2O2 were investigated. Under the condition of 400 mg Fe2+/L and 200 mg H2O2/L, removal efficiencies of residual COD and color were 88.7% and 80.9%, respectively. Under the subsequent condition of 100 mg Fe2+/L and 1200 mg H2O2/L, 95% of residual COD and 95.7% of residual color were removed from the UASB effluent. Results of this experimental study obviously indicated that nearly 99.3% of COD of raw poultry manure wastewater could be effectively removed by a UASB process followed by Fenton's oxidation technology used as a post-treatment unit.     

Application of electrochemically generated ozone to the discoloration and degradation of solutions containing the dye Reactive Orange 122

Aqueous solutions containing the commercial azo dye Reactive Orange 122 (RO122) were ozonated in acid and alkaline conditions. Ozone was electrochemically generated using a laboratory-made electrochemical reactor and applied using semi-batch conditions and a column bubble reactor. A constant ozone application rate of 0.25gh(-1) was used throughout. Color removal and degradation efficiency were evaluated as function of ozonation time, pH and initial dye concentration by means of discoloration kinetics and COD-TOC removal. Experimental findings revealed that pH affects both discoloration kinetics and COD-TOC removal. A single pseudo-first-order kinetic rate constant, k(obs), for discoloration was found for ozonation carried out in alkaline solutions, contrary to acidic solutions where k(obs) depends on ozonation time. COD-TOC removal supports degradation of RO122 is more pronounced for alkaline conditions. Evaluation of the oxidation feasibility by means of the COD/TOC ratio indicates that the ozonation process in both acid and alkaline conditions leads to a reduction in recalcitrance of the soluble organic matter.     

The testing of several biological and chemical coupled treatments for Cibacron Red FN-R azo dye removal

Several biological and chemical coupled treatments for Cibacron Red FN-R reactive azo dye degradation have been evaluated. Initially, a two-stage anaerobic-aerobic biotreatment has been assessed for different dye concentrations (250, 1250 and 3135 mg l(-1)). 92-97% decolourisation was attained during the anaerobic digestion operating in batch mode. However, no dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal neither biogas production was observed during the process, indicating that no methanogenesis occurred. Additionally, according to Biotox and Zahn-Wellens assays, the anaerobically generated colourless solutions (presumably containing the resulting aromatic amines from azo bond cleavage) were found to be more toxic than the initial dye as well as aerobically non-biodegradable, thus impeding the anaerobic-aerobic biological treatment. In a second part, the use of an advanced oxidation process (AOP) like photo-Fenton or ozonation as a chemical post-treatments of the anaerobic process has been considered for the complete dye by-products mineralisation. The best results were obtained by means of ozonation at pH 10.5, achieving a global 83% mineralisation and giving place to a final harmless effluent. On the contrary, the tested photo-Fenton conditions were not efficient enough to complete oxidation.     

Treatability and kinetics studies of mesophilic aerobic biodegradation of high oil and grease pet food wastewater

In this work, batch activated sludge studies were investigated for the treatment of raw pet food wastewater characterized by oil and grease concentrations of 50,000-66,000 mg/L, COD and BOD concentrations of 100,000 and 80,000 mg/L, respectively, as well as effluent from an existing anaerobic digester treating the aforementioned wastewater. A pre-treatment process, dissolved air flotation (DAF) achieved 97-99% reduction in O&G to about 400-800 mg/L, which is still atypically high for AS. The batch studies were conducted using a 4-L bioreactor at room temperature (21 degrees C) under different conditions. The experimental results showed for the DAF pretreated effluent, 92% COD removal efficiency can be achieved by using conventional activated sludge system at a 5 days contact time and applied initial soluble COD to biomass ratio of 1.17 mg COD/mg VSS. Similarly for the digester effluent at average oil and grease concentrations of 13,500 mg/L, activated sludge affected 63.7-76.2% soluble COD removal at 5 days. The results also showed that all kinetic data best conformed to the zero order biodegradation model with a low biomass specific maximum substrate utilization rate of 0.168 mg COD/mg VSS day reflecting the slow biodegradability of the wastewater even after 99% removal of oil and grease.     

Effluent treatment process in molasses-based distillery industries: a review

Distillery effluent is a contaminated stream with high chemical oxygen demand (COD) varying from 45,000 to 75,000 mg/l and low pH values of between 4.3 and 5.3. Different processes covering aerobic, anaerobic as well as physico-chemical methods which have been employed to this effluent has been given in this review paper. Among the different methods available, it was found that "An Inverse Anaerobic Fluidization" to be a better choice for treating effluent from molasses-based distillery industries using an inverse anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor (IAFBR). This technology has been widely applied as an effective step in removing 80-85% of the COD in the effluent stream. Therefore, in this review, attention has been paid to highlight in respect of fluidization phenomena, process performance, stability of the system, operating parameters, configuration of inverse anaerobic fluidization and suitable carrier material employed in an inverse anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor especially for treating this effluent.