title: Treatment of agro based industrial wastewater in sequencing batch reactor: performance evaluation and growth kinetics of aerobic biomass.
abstract: A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with a working volume of 8 L and an exchange ratio of 25% was used to enrich biomass for the treatment of the anaerobically treated low pH palm oil mill effluent (POME). The influent concentration was stepwise increased from 5000 ± 500 mg COD/L to 11,500 ± 500 mg COD/L. The performance of the reactor was monitored at different organic loading rates (OLRs). It was found that approximately 90% of the COD content of the POME wastewater was successfully removed regardless of the OLR applied to the SBR. Cycle studies of the SBR show that the oxygen uptake by the biomass while there is no COD reduction may be due to the oxidation of the storage product by the biomass. Further, the growth kinetic parameters of the biomass were determined in batch experiments using respirometer. The maximum specific growth rate (μmax) was estimated to be 1.143 day(-1) while the half saturation constant (Ks) with respect to COD was determined to be 0.429 g COD/L. The decay coefficient (bD) and biomass yield (Y) were found to be 0.131 day(-1) and 0.272 mg biomass/mg COD consumed, respectively.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: J X
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. Electronic address: chvel@usm.my.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Vadivelu
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors; D006801:Humans; D007220:Industrial Waste; D007700:Kinetics; D000073878:Palm Oil; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods; D062065:Wastewater
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D000073878:Palm Oil; D010938:Plant Oils; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Aerobic biomass; Biological treatment; Growth kinetics; Palm oil mill wastewater; Sequencing batch reactor