title: Anaerobic degradation of dimethyl phthalate in wastewater in a UASB reactor.
abstract: Over 99% of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and 93% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) were effectively removed in a continuous upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor from a wastewater containing 600 mg/L DMP at 8h of hydraulic retention time (HRT), corresponding to a loading rate of 3g-COD/(Ld). Each gram of sludge, expressed as volatile suspended solids (VSS), had a maximum specific methanogenic activity (SMA) of 24 mg-CH(4)/(g-VSSd) using DMP as the sole carbon source. The sludge yield was estimated as 0.08 g-VSS/g-COD. During anaerobic degradation, DMP was de-esterified, first to mono-methyl phthalate (MMP) and then to phthalate, before being de-aromatized and subsequently converted to CH(4) and CO(2). The maximum specific degradation rates of DMP, MMP and phthalate were 415, 88 and 36 mg/(g-VSSd), respectively. Analysis based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed a gradual shift of microbial population with the increase of DMP loading.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Da-Wei
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Herbert H P
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D019149:Bioreactors; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010795:Phthalic Acids; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C024629:dimethyl phthalate