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Fate of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons during anaerobic digestion of municipal wastewater sludges
Author(s) -
Parker Wayne J.,
Monteith Hugh D.
Publication year - 1995
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 - 10.2175/106143095x133293
Subject(s) - acenaphthene , acenaphthylene , biodegradation , phenanthrene , chemistry , anaerobic digestion , environmental chemistry , naphthalene , pulp and paper industry , organic chemistry , methane , engineering
The fate of six polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons during anaerobic digestion of municipal sludges was investigated in a two‐stage pilot‐scale digester system. Primary digester removal efficiencies ranged from 23% for acenaphthene to 62% for acenaphthylene; secondary digester removal efficiencies ranged from 22% for acenaphthylene to 42% for phenanthrene. Most of the remaining mass of candidate compounds was present in the secondary digester waste sludge stream. Less than 2.5% of the candidate compounds entering the digestion system was present in the secondary digester supernatant. A dynamic model of the primary digester incorporating mixed first‐order biodegradation kinetics was calibrated for each of the candidate compounds. The biodegradation rate coefficients that were estimated for the primary digester ranged from 0.004 L/g·d for acenaphthene to 0.16 L/g·d for acenaphthylene. The biodegradation rate coefficient for acenaphthene did not significantly differ from zero.