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Simultaneous removal of sulfate and selenate from wastewater by process integration of an ion exchange column and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket bioreactor |
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| Authors: | Edna Mejía Cálix Eldon R. Rene Yarlagadda V. Nancharaiah Eric D. Van Hullebusch Piet N. L. Lens |
| Affiliation: | 1. Institute for Water Education, UNESCO-IHE, AX Delft, The Netherlands;2. Biofouling and Biofilm Process Section, Water and Steam Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India;3. School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland |
| Abstract: | The application of an integrated process configuration comprising of an ion exchange (IX) column and an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactor for the simultaneous removal of SO42- and total Se from synthetic mine wastewater was evaluated. Use of an IX column as a pre-treatment (not as post-treatment) to the UASB bioreactor gave the best overall removal performance. The combined treatment reduced the total Se and SO42- concentration from 8.0 and 1441 mg/L to 0.2 and 28.0 mg/L, respectively. This study demonstrated for the first time that an IX process as a pre-treatment to a biological process can significantly improve the oxyanion removal efficiency and the overall treatment of Se-laden wastewaters. |
| Keywords: | Ion exchange column UASB bioreactor selenate removal adsorption integrated treatment system |