Evaluation of natural materials as exogenous carbon sources for biological treatment of low carbon-to-nitrogen wastewater.
In the bacterial processes involved in the mitigation of nitrogen pollution, an adequately high carbon-to-nitrogen (C : N) ratio is key to sustain denitrification. We evaluated three natural materials (woodchips, barley grains, and peanut shells) as carbon sources for low C : N wastewater. The amount of organic matter released from these materials to aqueous media was evaluated, as well as their pollution swapping potential by measuring the release of total Kjeldahl nitrogen, N-NH4 (+), NO2 (-), and NO3 (-), and total phosphorous. Barley grains yielded the highest amount of organic matter, which also showed to be the most easily biodegradable. Woodchips and peanut shells released carbon rather steadily and so they would not require frequent replenishment from biological reactors. These materials produced eluates with lower concentrations of nutrients than the leachates from barley grains. However, as woodchips yielded lower amounts of suspended solids, they constitute an adequate exogenous source for the biological treatment of carbon-deficient effluents.
Centro de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad Universitaria, Km. 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42067 Mineral de la Reforma, HGO, Mexico.
Juan
J
Ramírez-Godínez
Centro de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad Universitaria, Km. 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42067 Mineral de la Reforma, HGO, Mexico.
Icela
I
Beltrán-Hernández
Centro de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad Universitaria, Km. 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42067 Mineral de la Reforma, HGO, Mexico.
Alejandro
A
Álvarez-Hernández
Centro de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad Universitaria, Km. 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42067 Mineral de la Reforma, HGO, Mexico.
Claudia
C
Coronel-Olivares
Centro de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad Universitaria, Km. 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42067 Mineral de la Reforma, HGO, Mexico.
Elizabeth
E
Contreras-López
Universidad Tecnológica de Tecámac, Km. 37.5 Carretera México-Pachuca, Sierra Hermosa, 55740 Tecámac, MEX, Mexico.
Maribel
M
Quezada-Cruz
Centro de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad Universitaria, Km. 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42067 Mineral de la Reforma, HGO, Mexico.
Gabriela
G
Vázquez-Rodríguez
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001688:Biological Products / Q000378:metabolism; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000378:metabolism*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000382:microbiology*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
D001688:Biological Products; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen; D010936:Plant Extracts; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical