Influence of COD/sulfate ratios on the integrated reactor system for simultaneous removal of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen

Water Sci Technol. 2015;71(5):709-16. doi: 10.2166/wst.2014.533.

Abstract

An integrated reactor system was developed for the simultaneous removal of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen from sulfate-laden wastewater and for elemental sulfur (S°) reclamation. The system mainly consisted of an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) for sulfate reduction and organic carbon removal (SR-CR), an EGSB for denitrifying sulfide removal (DSR), a biological aerated filter for nitrification and a sedimentation tank for sulfur reclamation. This work investigated the influence of chemical oxygen demand (COD)/sulfate ratios on the performance of the system. Influent sulfate and ammonium were fixed to the level of 600 mg SO(4)(2-) L⁻¹ and 120 mg NH(4)(+) L⁻¹, respectively. Lactate was introduced to generate COD/SO(4)(2-) = 0.5:1, 1:1, 1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1, 3.5:1 and 4:1. The experimental results indicated that sulfate could be efficiently reduced in the SR-CR unit when the COD/SO(4)(2-) ratio was between 1:1 and 3:1, and sulfate reduction was inhibited by the growth of methanogenic bacteria when the COD/SO(4)(2-) ratio was between 3.5:1 and 4:1. Meanwhile, the Org-C/S²⁻/NO(3)(-) ratios affected the S(0) reclamation efficiency in the DSR unit. When the influent COD/SO(4)(2-) ratio was between 1:1 and 3:1, appropriate Org-C/S²⁻/NO(3)(-) ratios could be achieved to obtain a maximum S° recovery in the DSR unit. For the microbial community of the SR-CR unit at different COD/SO(4)(2-) ratios, 16S rRNA gene-based high throughput Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to analyze the diversity and potential function of the dominant species.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacteria / growth & development
  • Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis*
  • Bioreactors* / microbiology
  • Carbon / isolation & purification
  • Equipment Design
  • Microbial Consortia / genetics
  • Nitrogen / isolation & purification
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Sewage / microbiology*
  • Sulfates* / metabolism
  • Sulfides / metabolism
  • Sulfur / isolation & purification
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid / instrumentation
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid / methods*
  • Wastewater / chemistry

Substances

  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Sewage
  • Sulfates
  • Sulfides
  • Waste Water
  • Sulfur
  • Carbon
  • Nitrogen