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Biodegradation of 2,4‐dinitrophenol under denitrification conditions
Author(s) -
Zhu JianHang,
Yan X.iLuan
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
asia‐pacific journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.348
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1932-2143
pISSN - 1932-2135
DOI - 10.1002/apj.416
Subject(s) - nitrate , biodegradation , 2,4 dinitrophenol , bioreactor , hydraulic retention time , chemistry , anaerobic exercise , denitrification , aeration , wastewater , anoxic waters , dinitrophenol , electron acceptor , environmental chemistry , electron donor , pulp and paper industry , environmental engineering , environmental science , nitrogen , biochemistry , organic chemistry , biology , physiology , engineering , catalysis
Nitrophenols are often found in industrial wastewaters for a wide range of processes; they are highly toxic and potentially carcinogenic. Anaerobic biodegradation of nitrophenols has advantages of relatively low cost, less sludge produced, and high efficiency, when compared with aerobic biodegradation and physical/chemical treatments, although available published results are often contradictory. This paper reports on 2,4‐dinitrophenol biodegradation in an anaerobic bioreactor operated in a continuous mode in order to determine optimal operating conditions, and the effects of the main operating parameters such as hydraulic retention time and chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading on the process efficiency. In this study, an 80‐day gradual enrichment of an anaerobic culture has been carried out at 25 °C in an anaerobic bioreactor for continuously treating a synthetic wastewater containing 210 mg/l 2,4‐dinitrophenol and 100 mg/l nitrate. The results showed that the enriched culture could utilize 2,4‐dinitrophenol as a sole electron donor and nitrate as an electron acceptor at the end of the enrichment (on Day 80). Almost all nitrate and 95.5% 2,4‐dinitrophenol could be simultaneously removed at a hydraulic retention time of 12 h in the anaerobic bioreactor. The removal of 1 g of the added nitrate required about 4.60 g COD (as provided by the 2,4‐dinitrophenol) as the electron donor, and the removal of 2,4‐dinitrophenol by this enriched culture was strongly dependent on the presence of nitrate. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.