The influence of anaerobic pretreatment on the nitrogen removal from biosynthetic pharmaceutical wastewaters.
The C:N ratio of the pharmaceutical wastewaters is usually suitable for a combination of the anaerobic pretreatment with the high COD removal and aerobic posttreatment with the efficient biological N removal. This kind of anaerobic-aerobic process was tested in semipilot scale by using a UASB reactor and an activated sludge system with a predenitrification (total volume 100 l). It was found that at a total HRT of 2.3 days an average of 97.5% of COD and 73.5% of total N was removed. The UASB reactor was operated at 30 degrees C with a volumetric loading rate of 8.7 kg.m-3.d-1, the efficiency of COD removal was 92.2%. The processes, which take part in the biological removal of nitrogen, especially the nitrification, were running with lower rates than usually observed in aerobic treatment systems.
Jenícek
P
P
Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Czech Republic.
Zábranská
J
J
Dohányos
M
M
D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001709:Biotechnology; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D004345:Drug Industry; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D012498:Sanitary Engineering; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen