title: Iron and manganese removal from textile effluents in anaerobic attached-growth bioreactor filled with coirfibres.
abstract: A laboratory scale study on Fe and Mn removal in upflow anaerobic bioreactor of a working volume of 20 L with coir fibre as the filter medium was investigated for a period of 312 days. The maximum Fe and Mn levels considered were 10 and 5 mg/L respectively, which are the typical average values of textile effluents subsequent to the primary and secondary treatments. Ten sub-experimental runs were conducted with varying HRTs (5 days to 1 day), ratios of COD:SO42- (20 to 3.5), Fe levels (0.005 to 10 mg/L) and Mn levels (0 to 5 mg/L). COD:SO2 of 3.5 was identified as the optimum point at which sulphate reducing bacteria (SRBs) out competed methane producing bacteria (MPBs) and further reduction of this ratio caused total and/or significant inhibition of MPBs, thus building sulphate reducing conditions. The effluent contained Fe and Mn below the permissible levels (1.6 and 1.1 mg/L for Fe and Mn, respectively) stipulated by US National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) for inland surface waters at HRTs higher than 3 days. Results of the mass balance showed more Fe accumulation (60%) in sediments whereas 27% in the filter media. An opposite observation was noticed for Mn.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. mahesh@civil.mrt.ac.lk
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Jayaweera
authors.forename: P I A
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: S L J
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wijeyekoon
mesh_terms: D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000378:metabolism; D019149:Bioreactors; D002482:Cellulose; D003059:Cocos; D007220:Industrial Waste; D007501:Iron / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D008031:Lignin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D008345:Manganese / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D013783:Textile Industry; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D013431:Sulfates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C507903:coir; D008345:Manganese; D002482:Cellulose; D008031:Lignin; D007501:Iron