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Effect of Sulfide Inhibition and Organic Shock Loading on Anaerobic Biofilm Reactors Treating a Low‐Temperature, High‐Sulfate Wastewater
Author(s) -
McDonald Heather B.,
Parkin Gene F.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143008x325656
Subject(s) - chemical oxygen demand , sulfate , chemistry , wastewater , sulfide , sulfate reducing bacteria , effluent , acclimatization , sulfur , bioreactor , acidogenesis , hydrogen sulfide , anaerobic exercise , pulp and paper industry , propionate , environmental chemistry , nuclear chemistry , environmental engineering , anaerobic digestion , biochemistry , organic chemistry , methane , ecology , environmental science , biology , physiology , engineering
To assess the long‐term treatment of sulfate‐ and carbon‐rich wastewater at low temperatures, anaerobic biofilm reactors were operated for over 900 days at 20°C and fed wastewater containing lactate and sulfate. Results showed the reactors could be operated at 20°C with a load rate of 1.3 g‐chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L · d or less and a sulfur loading rate (SLR) of 0.2 g‐S/L · d, with no significant deterioration in performance. With acclimation periods, load rates of 3.4 g‐COD/L · d and SLR of 0.3 g/L · d could be tolerated. Effluent dissolved sulfide and hydrogen sulfide levels were approximately 600 and 150 mg‐S/L, respectively, during this period. The effect of organic shock loading was also assessed. Reactors appeared to recover from one, but not two, lactate spikes of approximately 5000 mg‐COD/L. Long‐term stability was achieved in reactors containing large, stable populations of lactate‐ and propionate‐degrading sulfate‐reducing bacteria and aceticlastic methanogens.