Influences of organic loading disturbances on the performance of anaerobic filter process to treat purified terephthalic acid wastewater.
A lab-scale anaerobic filter process was operated for the treatment of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) wastewater, and the influences of organic loading disturbances on the process performance were investigated. After about 15 month operation, the COD removal efficiency was maintained at 79% under the volumetric loading rate of 5.05 kg-COD/m3/d and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 50 h. Interestingly, this performance could be further enhanced over 85% by applying a step-increase/decrease of the HRT, which was mainly due to the increased p-toluate degradation. In the shock loading tests of four major pollutants (benzoate, acetate, terephthalate and p-toluate), it was found that the overall process performance was adversely affected by all the shock loadings, indicating that the syntrophic microbial consortium involved in the PTA wastewater treatment is highly sensitive to the organic loading disturbances. The complex inhibition effects of the benzoate and acetate on the terephthalate and p-toluate degradations were mainly responsible for this sensitivity.
Joung
Jea Youl
JY
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, San 31, Hyoja-dong, Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea.
Lee
Hae Woo
HW
Choi
Hyeoksun
H
Lee
Min Woo
MW
Park
Jong Moon
JM
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards*; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013997:Time Factors; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D018508:Water Purification
D010795:Phthalic Acids; C011363:terephthalic acid