Development of enhanced sulphidogenesis process for the treatment of wastewater having low COD/SO(4)(2-) ratio

An upflow hybrid sulphidogenesis reactor of 1.75 L volume was developed (at oxidation-reduction potential (ORP)=-225+/-25 mV) using flocculent extended aeration process sludge (selected based on screening study at COD/SO(4)(2-) ratio=1) for enhanced sulphidogenesis and COD removal. The reactor was subjected to various loading rate studies at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 day with COD/SO(4)(2-) ratio of 1.3. At loading rate of 2.5 kg COD/(m(3)day), excellent performance with more than 97% removal of sulphate was achieved within bottom 40% volume of the reactor. At a higher loading rate of 3.75 kg COD/(m(3)day), there was a decrease in both sulphate (70-75%) and COD (50%) removal efficiencies. A controlled and continuous air injection (0.19 L/(L min)) given at 40% volume of the reactor affected sulphide oxidation inside the reactor and enhanced the sulphate reduction in the reactor. The specific sulphate reduction capacity of mixed culture drawn from the bottom part of the reactor was 0.35 kg SO(4)(2-)/(kg VSS day). The results of this study showed that enhanced sulphidogenesis with sulphide inhibition control can maintain sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in anaerobic reactor at low COD/SO(4)(2-) ratios between 1 and 2, with efficient simultaneous removal of COD and SO(4)(2-). The sulphide generated in the system can be recovered as elemental sulphur and/or oxidized back to sulphate.     

Growth kinetics of hydrogen sulfide oxidizing bacteria in corroded concrete from sewers

Hydrogen sulfide oxidation by microbes present on concrete surfaces of sewer pipes is a key process in sewer corrosion. The growth of aerobic sulfur oxidizing bacteria from corroded concrete surfaces was studied in a batch reactor. Samples of corrosion products, containing sulfur oxidizing bacteria, were suspended in aqueous solution at pH similar to that of corroded concrete. Hydrogen sulfide was supplied to the reactor to provide the source of reduced sulfur. The removal of hydrogen sulfide and oxygen was monitored. The utilization rates of both hydrogen sulfide and oxygen suggested exponential bacterial growth with median growth rates of 1.25 d(-1) and 1.33 d(-1) as determined from the utilization rates of hydrogen sulfide and oxygen, respectively. Elemental sulfur was found to be the immediate product of the hydrogen sulfide oxidation. When exponential growth had been achieved, the addition of hydrogen sulfide was terminated leading to elemental sulfur oxidation. The ratio of consumed sulfur to consumed oxygen suggested that sulfuric acid was the ultimate oxidation product. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study to determine the growth rate of bacteria involved in concrete corrosion with hydrogen sulfide as source of reduced sulfur.     

Phosphorus removal performance of acid mine drainage from wastewater

Acid mine drainage (AMD) in Yunfu iron sulfide mine contain Fe(2+), Fe(3+), and Al(3+) up to 8000, 1700 and 1200 mg/L, respectively. Phosphorus removal from synthetic wastewater with 10mg/L of total phosphorus (TP) concentration and second municipal effluent with 3.5-4.0mg/L of TP concentration were conducted with the AMD by jar tests. Dosage of the AMD and initial pH of water are the two most important parameters affecting the performance of phosphorus removal of the AMD. The optimal phosphorus removal efficiency and residual iron ions (TFe) concentration are 97.0% and 3.0mg/L, respectively, at 1.61 Fe/P molar ratio and pH 8.03 for synthetic wastewater, and 92.1% and 0.32 mg/L, respectively, for second municipal effluent at 1.41 Fe/P molar ratio and pH 7.3. Resultant heavy metal concentration in effluents and precipitate was very low, and the risk of resultant heavy metal contamination was very small. The phosphorus removal performance of the AMD was much similar to that of ferric sulfate (FS) and polyferric sulfate (PFS), and better than that of FeSO(4). And residual TFe concentration in treated water arising from utilization of the AMD was similar to that of FeSO(4), and higher than that of FS and PFS. The AMD could be used as coagulant for phosphorus removal from wastewater directly due to the presence of Fe(2+), Fe(3+), and Al(3+) largely.     

Removal of organic pollutants from 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobenzidine (TCB) industrial wastewater by micro-electrochemical oxidation and air-stripping

A feasible method for treatment of the wastewater from the two-staged neutralization in 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobenzidine (TCB) manufacturing processes, a refractory dye intermediate effluents, based on combined micro-electrochemical oxidation or iron-chipping filtration (ICF) and air-stripping reactor (ASR), was developed. On conditions of HRT 1h, pH 3.0 in ICF and HRT 38 h, gas-liquid ratio 15, pH 6.0-8.65, temperature 26 degrees C in ASR, the overall COD, color, TCB and NH(4)(+)-N removal were 96.8%, 91%, 87.61% and 62%, respectively, during the treatment of TCB wastewater from the two-staged neutralization dissolved by methanol. The averaged 18.3%, 81.7% of the total degraded COD, 35.2%, 64.8% of TCB were carried out in ICF and ASR, respectively. NH(4)(+)-N removal was finished mainly in ASR. The experimental results indicated that the combined micro-electrochemical oxidation and air-stripping process performed good treatment of COD, color, TCB and NH(4)(+)-N removal in TCB wastewater from the two-staged neutralization dissolved by ethanol or acetone, came up the discharge standard in China. But the TCB wastewater from the two-staged neutralization dissolved by methanol should be deeply treated before discharged.     

Application of Box-Wilson experimental design method for 2,4-dinitrotoluene treatment in a sequential anaerobic migrating blanket reactor (AMBR)/aerobic completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR) system

A sequential aerobic completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR) following the anaerobic migrating blanket reactor (AMBR) was used to treat a synthetic wastewater containing 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT). A Box-Wilson statistical experiment design was used to determine the effects of 2,4-DNT and the hydraulic retention times (HRTs) on 2,4-DNT and COD removal efficiencies in the AMBR reactor. The 2,4-DNT concentrations in the feed (0-280 mg/L) and the HRT (0.5-10 days) were considered as the independent variables while the 2,4-DNT and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies, total and methane gas productions, methane gas percentage, pH, total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) and total volatile fatty acid/bicarbonate alkalinity (TVFA/Bic.Alk.) ratio were considered as the objective functions in the Box-Wilson statistical experiment design in the AMBR. The predicted data for the parameters given above were determined from the response functions by regression analysis of the experimental data and exhibited excellent agreement with the experimental results. The optimum HRT which gave the maximum COD (97.00%) and 2,4-DNT removal (99.90%) efficiencies was between 5 and 10 days at influent 2,4-DNT concentrations 1-280 mg/L in the AMBR. The aerobic CSTR was used for removals of residual COD remaining from the AMBR, and for metabolites of 2,4-DNT. The maximum COD removal efficiency was 99% at an HRT of 1.89 days at a 2,4-DNT concentration of 239 mg/L in the aerobic CSTR. It was found that 280 mg/L 2,4-DNT transformed to 2,4-diaminotoluene (2,4-DAT) via 2-amino-4-nitrotoluene (2-A-4-NT) and 4-amino-2-nitrotoluene (4-A-2-NT) in the AMBR. The maximum 2,4-DAT removal was 82% at an HRT of 8.61 days in the aerobic CSTR. The maximum total COD and 2,4-DNT removal efficiencies were 99.00% and 99.99%, respectively, at an influent 2,4-DNT concentration of 239 mg/L and at 1.89 days of HRT in the sequential AMBR/CSTR.     

Performance of a hybrid-loop bioreactor system in biological treatment of 2,4,6-tri-chlorophenol containing synthetic wastewater: effects of hydraulic residence time

A hybrid-loop bioreactor system consisting of a packed column biofilm and an aerated tank bioreactor with effluent recycle was used for biological treatment of 2,4,6-tri-chlorophenol (TCP) containing synthetic wastewater. Effects of hydraulic residence time (HRT) on COD, TCP and toxicity removal performance of the reactor were investigated for the HRT values between 5 and 30 h, while the feed COD (2700+/-100 mgl(-1)), TCP (300+/-10 mgl(-1)) and the solids retention time (sludge age, SRT, 20 d) were constant. Percent TCP, COD and toxicity removals increased with increasing HRT resulting in more than 90% COD, TCP and toxicity removals at HRT values above 25 h. Biomass concentrations in the packed column and in the aeration tank increased with increasing HRT resulting in low reactor TCP concentrations and therefore high TCP, COD and toxicity removals at high HRT values. Volumetric and specific rates of TCP and COD removals decreased with increasing HRT due to increased biomass and decreased flow rates at high HRT levels. Volumetric and specific removal rates of COD and TCP were maximum at an HRT of 5 h.     

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.     

Combined Fenton oxidation and aerobic biological processes for treating a surfactant wastewater containing abundant sulfate

The present study is to investigate the treatment of a surfactant wastewater containing abundant sulfate by Fenton oxidation and aerobic biological processes. The operating conditions have been optimized. Working at an initial pH value of 8, a Fe2+ dosage of 600mgL(-1) and a H2O2 dosage of 120mgL(-1), the chemical oxidation demand (COD) and linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) were decreased from 1500 and 490mgL(-1) to 230 and 23mgL(-1) after 40min of Fenton oxidation, respectively. Advanced oxidation pretreatment using Fenton reagent was very effective at enhancing the biodegradability of this kind of wastewater. The wastewater was further treated by a bio-chemical treatment process based on an immobilized biomass reactor with a hydraulic detention time (HRT) of 20h after Fenton oxidation pretreatment under the optimal operating conditions. It was found that the COD and LAS of the final effluent were less than 100 and 5mgL(-1), corresponding to a removal efficiencies of over 94% and 99%, respectively.     

Wastewater treatment in a hybrid activated sludge baffled reactor

A novel hybrid activated sludge baffled reactor (HASBR), which contained both suspended and attached-growth biomass perfect mixing cells in series, was developed by installing standing and hanging baffles and introducing plastic brushes into a conventional activated sludge (CAS) reactor. It was used for the treatment of domestic wastewater. The effects on the operational performance of developing the suspended and attached-growth biomass and reactor configuration were investigated. The change of the flow regime from complete-mix to plug-flow, and the addition of plastic brushes as a support for biofilm, resulted in considerable improvements in the COD, nitrogen removal efficiency of domestic wastewater and sludge settling properties. In steady state, approximately 98+/-2% of the total COD and 98+/-2% of the ammonia of the influent were removed in the HASBR, when the influent wastewater concentration was 593+/-11 mg COD/L and 43+/-5 mg N/L, respectively, at a HRT of 10 h. These results were 93+/-3 and 6+/-3% for the CAS reactor, respectively. Approximately 90+/-7% of the total COD was removed in the HASBR, when the influent wastewater concentration was 654+/-16 mg COD/L at a 3h HRT, and in the organic loading rate (OLR) of 5.36kgCOD m(-3) day(-1). The result for the CAS reactor was 60+/-3%. Existing CAS plants can be upgraded by changing the reactor configuration and introducing biofilm support media into the aeration tank.     

Evaluation of feed COD/sulfate ratio as a control criterion for the biological hydrogen sulfide production and lead precipitation

The ability of sulfate-reducing bacteria to produce hydrogen sulfide and the high affinity of sulfide to react with divalent metallic cations represent an excellent option to remove heavy metals from wastewater. Different parameters have been proposed to control the hydrogen sulfide production by anaerobic bacteria, such as the organic and sulfate loading rates and the feed COD/SO4(2-) ratio. This work relates the feed COD/SO4(2-) ratio with the hydrogen sulfide production and dissolved lead precipitation, using ethanol as carbon and energy source in an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. A maximum dissolved sulfide concentration of 470+/-7 mg S/L was obtained at a feed COD/SO4(2-) ratio of 2.5, with sulfate and ethanol conversions of approximately 94 and 87%, respectively. The lowest dissolved sulfide concentration (145+/-10 mg S/L) was observed with a feed COD/SO4(2-) ratio of 0.67. Substantial amounts of acetate (510-1730 mg/L) were produced and accumulated in the bioreactor from ethanol oxidation. Although only incomplete oxidation of ethanol to acetate was observed, the consortium was able to remove 99% of the dissolved lead (200 mg/L) with a feed COD/SO4(2-) ratio of 1.5. It was found that the feed COD/SO4(2-) ratio could be an adequate parameter to control the hydrogen sulfide production and the consequent precipitation of dissolved lead.     

Electrochemical oxidation of phenol in a parallel plate reactor using ruthenium mixed metal oxide electrode

In this study, electrochemical oxidation of phenol was carried out in a parallel plate reactor using ruthenium mixed metal oxide electrode. The effects of initial pH, temperature, supporting electrolyte concentration, current density, flow rate and initial phenol concentration on the removal efficiency were investigated. Model wastewater prepared with distilled water and phenol, was recirculated to the electrochemical reactor by a peristaltic pump. Sodium sulfate was used as supporting electrolyte. The Microtox bioassay was also used to measure the toxicity of the model wastewater during the study. As a result of the study, removal efficiency of 99.7% and 88.9% were achieved for the initial phenol concentration of 200 mg/L and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 480 mg/L, respectively. In the same study, specific energy consumption of 1.88 k Wh/g phenol removed and, mass transfer coefficient of 8.62 x 10(-6)m/s were reached at the current density of 15 mA/cm(2). Electrochemical oxygen demand (EOD), which can be defined as the amount of electrochemically formed oxygen used for the oxidation of organic pollutants, was 2.13 g O(2)/g phenol. Electrochemical oxidation of petroleum refinery wastewater was also studied at the optimum experimental conditions obtained. Phenol removal of 94.5% and COD removal of 70.1% were reached at the current density of 20 mA/cm(2) for the petroleum refinery wastewater.     

Treatment of pesticide wastewater by moving-bed biofilm reactor combined with Fenton-coagulation pretreatment

In order to treat pesticide wastewater having high chemical oxygen demand (COD) value and poor biodegradability, Fenton-coagulation process was first used to reduce COD and improve biodegradability and then was followed by biological treatment. Optimal experimental conditions for the Fenton process were determined to be Fe(2+) concentration of 40 mmol/L and H(2)O(2) dose of 97 mmol/L at initial pH 3. The interaction mechanism of organophosphorous pesticide and hydroxyl radicals was suggested to be the breakage of the P=S double bond and formation of sulfate ions and various organic intermediates, followed by formation of phosphate and consequent oxidation of intermediates. For the subsequent biological treatment, 3.2g/L Ca(OH)(2) was added to adjust the pH and further coagulate the pollutants. The COD value could be evidently decreased from 33,700 to 9300 mg/L and the ratio of biological oxygen demand (BOD(5)) to COD of the wastewater was enhanced to over 0.47 by Fenton oxidation and coagulation. The pre-treated wastewater was then subjected to biological oxidation by using moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) inside which tube chip type bio-carriers were fluidized upon air bubbling. Higher than 85% of COD removal efficiency could be achieved when the bio-carrier volume fraction was kept more than 20% by feeding the pretreated wastewater containing 3000 mg/L of inlet COD at one day of hydraulic retention time (HRT), but a noticeable decrease in the COD removal efficiency when the carrier volume was decreased down to 10%, only 72% was observed. With the improvement of biodegradability by using Fenton pretreatment, also due to the high concentration of biomass and high biofilm activity using the fluidizing bio-carriers, high removal efficiency and stable operation could be achieved in the biological process even at a high COD loading of 37.5 gCOD/(m(2)carrierday).     

Inhibition of sulfate reduction by iron, cadmium and sulfide in granular sludge

This study investigated the inhibition effect of iron, cadmium and sulfide on the substrate utilization rate of sulfate reducing granular sludge. A series of batch experiments in a UASB reactor were conducted with different concentrations of iron (Fe²⁺, 4.0–8.5 mM), cadmium (Cd²⁺, 0.53–3.0 mM) and sulfide (4.2–10.6 mM), the reactor was fed with ethanol at 1 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L and sulfate to yield a COD/SO₄²⁻ (g/g) ratio of 0.5. The addition of iron, up to a concentration of 8.1 mM, had a positive effect on the substrate utilization rate which increased 40% compared to the rate obtained without metal addition (0.25 g COD/g VSS-d). Nonetheless, iron concentration of 8.5 mM inhibited the specific substrate utilization rate by 57% compared to the substrate utilization rate obtained in the batch amended with 4.0 mM Fe²⁺ (0.44 g COD/g VSS-d). Cadmium had a negative effect on the specific substrate utilization rate at the concentrations tested; at 3.0 mM Cd²⁺ the substrate utilization rate was inhibited by 44% compared with the substrate utilization rate without metal addition. Cadmium precipitation with sulfide did not decrease the inhibition of cadmium on sulfate reduction. These results could have important practical implications mainly when considering the application of the sulfate reducing process to treat effluents with high concentrations of sulfate and dissolved metals such as iron and cadmium.     

Process control, energy recovery and cost savings in acetic acid wastewater treatment

An anaerobic fixed bed loop (AFBL) reactor was applied for treatment of acetic acid (HAc) wastewater. Two pH process control concepts were investigated; auxostatic and chemostatic control. In the auxostatic pH control, feed pump is interrupted when pH falls below a certain pH value in the bioreactor, which results in reactor operation at maximum load. Chemostatic control assures alkaline conditions by setting a certain pH value in the influent, preventing initial reactor acidification. The AFBL reactor treated HAc wastewater at low hydraulic residence time (HRT) (10-12 h), performed at high space time loads (40-45 kg COD/m(3) d) and high space time yield (30-35 kg COD/m(3) d) to achieve high COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) removal (80%). Material and cost savings were accomplished by utilizing the microbial potential for wastewater neutralization during anaerobic treatment along with application of favourable pH-auxostatic control. NaOH requirement for neutralization was reduced by 75% and HRT was increased up to 20 h. Energy was recovered by applying costless CO(2) contained in the biogas for neutralization of alkaline wastewater. Biogas was enriched in methane by 4 times. This actually brings in more energy profits, since biogas extra heating for CO(2) content during biogas combustion is minimized and usage of other acidifying agents is omitted.     

Physical and oxidative removal of organics during Fenton treatment of mature municipal landfill leachate

Municipal landfill leachate, especially mature leachate, may disrupt the performance of moderately-sized municipal activated sludge wastewater treatment plants, and likewise tend to be recalcitrant to biological pretreatment. Recently, Fenton methods have been investigated for chemical treatment or pre-treatment of mature leachate. In this paper, the results of laboratory tests to determine the roles of oxidation and coagulation in reducing the organic content of mature leachate during Fenton treatment are presented. The efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) oxidation and coagulation were tested, and the ratio of COD removal by oxidation to that by coagulation was assessed, under various operating conditions. Low initial pH, appropriate relative and absolute Fenton reagent dosages, aeration, and stepwise addition of reagents increased COD removal by oxidation and the importance of oxidation relative to coagulation. Simultaneous aeration and stepwise reagent addition allowed comparable treatment without initial acidification pH, due to the generation of acidic organic intermediates and the continuous input of CO2. On the other hand, high COD oxidation efficiency and low ferrous dosage inhibited COD removal by coagulation. At significantly high oxidation efficiency, overall COD reduction decrease slightly due to low coagulation efficiency. Under the most favorable conditions (initial pH 3, molar ratio [H(2)O(2)]/[Fe2+]=3, [H2O2]=240 mM, and six dosing steps), 61% of the initial COD was removed, and the ratio of COD removal oxidation to coagulation was 0.75. Results highlighted the synergistic roles of oxidation and coagulation in Fenton treatment of mature leachate, and the role of oxidation in controlling the efficiency of removal of COD by coagulation.     

Anoxic sulfide biooxidation using nitrite as electron acceptor

Biotechnology can be used to assess the well being of ecosystems, transform pollutants into benign substances, generate biodegradable materials from renewable sources, and develop environmentally safe manufacturing and disposal processes. Simultaneous elimination of sulfide and nitrite from synthetic wastewaters was investigated using a bioreactor. A laboratory scale anoxic sulfide-oxidizing (ASO) reactor was operated for 135 days to evaluate the potential for volumetric loading rates, effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and substrate concentration on the process performance. The maximal sulfide and nitrite removal rates were achieved to be 13.82 and 16.311 kg/(m3 day), respectively, at 0.10 day HRT. The process can endure high sulfide concentrations, as the sulfide removal percentage always remained higher than 88.97% with influent concentration up to 1920 mg/L. Incomplete sulfide oxidation took place due to lower consumed nitrite to sulfide ratios of 0.93. It also tolerated high nitrite concentration up to 2265.25mg/L. The potential achieved by decreasing HRT at fixed substrate concentration is higher than that by increasing substrate concentration at fixed HRT. The process can bear short HRT of 0.10 day but careful operation is needed. Nitrite conversion was more sensitive to HRT than sulfide conversion when HRT was decreased from 1.50 to 0.08 day. Stoichiometric analyses and results of batch experiments show that major part of sulfide (89-90%) was reduced by nitrite while some autooxidation (10-11%) was resulted from presence of small quantities of dissolved oxygen in the influent wastewater. There was ammonia amassing in considerably high amounts in the bioreactor when the influent nitrite concentration reached above 2265.25mg/L. High ammonia concentrations (200-550 mg/L) in the bioreactor contributed towards the overall inhibition of the process. Present biotechnology exhibits practical value with a high potential for simultaneous removal of nitrite and sulfide from concentrated wastewaters at shorter HRT.     

COD, para-chlorophenol and toxicity removal from para-chlorophenol containing synthetic wastewater in an activated sludge unit

Chlorinated phenolic compounds present in some chemical industry wastewaters cause severe toxic effects on the organisms and often are resistant to biological degradation. Synthetic wastewater containing different concentrations of para-chlorophenol (4-chlorophenol, 4-CP) was biologically treated in an activated sludge unit for COD, 4-CP and toxicity removal. Effects of feed 4-CP concentration on COD, 4-CP, toxicity removals and on sludge volume index were investigated at a constant sludge age of 20 days and hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 25 h. Resazurin method based on dehydrogenase activity was used for determination of the toxicity of the feed and effluent wastewater. COD and 4-CP removals were not affected by the presence of 4-CP in the wastewater up to feed 4-CP concentration of 925 mg l(-1) because of almost complete degradation of 4-CP yielding lower than 50 mg l(-1) 4-CP in the aeration tank. Percent COD, 4-CP and toxicity removals decreased and the effluent COD, 4-CP and toxicity levels increased with further increases in the feed 4-CP concentrations above 925 mg l(-1) because of inhibitory concentrations of 4-CP in the reactor. Biomass concentration in the aeration tank decreased and the sludge volume index (SVI) increased with feed 4-CP concentrations above 925 mg l(-1) resulting in lower COD and 4-CP removal rates. The rates of COD and 4-CP removals indicated substrate (4-CP) inhibition for the feed 4-CP concentrations above 925 mg l(-1) corresponding to the reactor 4-CP of above 200 mg l(-1). The system should be operated at the feed 4-CP concentrations of less than 900 mg l(-1) (4-CP(R) < 200 mg l(-1)) in order to obtain high rates and extents of COD, 4-CP and toxicity removals at a sludge age of 20 days and HRT of 25 h.     

Biological pre-treatment of wastewater containing sulfate using anaerobic immobilized cells

Biological reduction of sulfate to sulfide using sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) was investigated. A respirometer was used to study the sulfide toxicity in the systems fed glucose, the results showed that sulfide would start to inhibit methanogens when the dissolved sulfide and total sulfide concentrations were 276.4 and 304.6 mg/L, respectively. When chemostats were used to study the Monod kinetic coefficients, Y, kd, Ks, and k were 0.36 mg VSS (volatile suspended solids) using SRB/mg SO4-S, 0.05/day, 147.30 mg SO4-S/L, and 6.50 mg SO4-S/mg VSS using SRB-d, respectively. Using pure cultural techniques, SRB were found to be 29.45% of the VSS in the chemostats. Sulfate removal using an upflow anaerobic filter packed with immobilized cells was also investigated. Under sulfate loading rates of 0.2 and 0.4 g SO4-S/L day, and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2 days, a sulfate removal efficiency greater than 93% could be achieved. When the filter was operated under COD (chemical oxygen demand)/S from 10/1 to 5/1 and HRTs of 2, 1 and 0.5 days, sulfate removal efficiency was between 98.1 and 70.9%. It is believed that protection by the immobilized cell structure caused the microbial cells in the filter to tolerate higher dissolved sulfide (447.8 mg/L) and total sulfide (940.3 mg/L) levels, allowing a much higher biomass concentration (13.2-13.5 g VSS/L) to be reached.     

Microbial conversion of sulfur dioxide in flue gas to sulfide using bulk drug industry wastewater as an organic source by mixed cultures of sulfate reducing bacteria

Mixed cultures of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) were isolated from anaerobic cultures and enriched with SRB media. Studies on batch and continuous reactors for the removal of SO(2) with bulk drug industry wastewater as an organic source using isolated mixed cultures of SRB revealed that isolation and enrichment methodology adopted in the present study were apt to suppress the undesirable growth of anaerobic bacteria other than SRB. Studies on anaerobic reactors showed that process was sustainable at COD/S ratio of 2.2 and above with optimum sulfur loading rate (SLR) of 5.46kgS/(m(3)day), organic loading rate (OLR) of 12.63kg COD/(m(3)day) and at hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 8h. Free sulfide (FS) concentration in the range of 300-390mgFS/l was found to be inhibitory to mixed cultures of SRB used in the present studies.     

Simultaneous removal of phenol, ammonium and thiocyanate from coke wastewater by aerobic biodegradation

A laboratory-scale activated sludge plant composed of a 20 L volume aerobic reactor followed by a 12 L volume settling tank and operating at 35 degrees C was used to study the biodegradation of coke wastewater. The concentrations of ammonium nitrogen (NH(4)(+) -N), phenols, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and thiocyanate (SCN(-)) in the wastewater ranged between 504 and 2,340, 110 and 350, 807 and 3,275 and 185 and 370 mg/L, respectively. The study was undertaken with and without the addition of bicarbonate. The addition of this inorganic carbon source was necessary to favour nitrification, as the alkalinity of the wastewater was very low. Maximum removal efficiencies of 75%, 98% and 90% were obtained for COD, phenols and thyocianates, respectively, without the addition of bicarbonate. The concentration of ammonia increased in the effluent due to both the formation of NH(4)(+) as a result of SCN(-) biodegradation and to organic nitrogen oxidation. A maximum nitrification efficiency of 71% was achieved when bicarbonate was added, the removals of COD and phenols being almost similar to those obtained in the absence of nitrification. Batch experiments were performed to study the influence of pH and alkalinity on the biodegradation of phenols and thiocyanate.