Biological sulphate removal with partial oxidation of sulfide in sequencial batch reactors

Author(s)

Ariovaldo José da Silva

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC/SBD)
• Defense date: 2005-02-18

Examining board members

Marcelo Zaiat; Jose Roberto Campos; Carlos Augusto de Lemos Chernicharo; Edson Aparecido Abdul Nour; Edson Luiz Silva

• Advisor: Marcelo Zaiat

Abstract

In anaerobic biological systems for wastewater treatment well-designed sulphate can be reduced to sulfide by sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB), and it can be subsequently oxidized to elemental sulphur, under low dissolved oxygen concentration ('< OU =' 0.1 mg/L). The present thesis evaluates the microbial sulphate reduction process in anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactors with immobilized biomass in polyurethane foam (PU) and vegetable coal (CV). Such support materials were previously selected by microbial adhesion tests executed in differential reactors. Afterwards, the effect of ethanol addition on the performance of sulphate reduction process was assessed. The main metabolic pathways of organic substrate utilization by microorganisms were identified by kinectic modelation. The microbial community was evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The partial sulfide oxidation process was also evaluated in aerobic sequencing batch reactor containing biomass immobilized in PU matrices. It was concluded by FISH that characteristics of the support materials has influence on the microbial equilibrium. The COD/['SO IND.4'POT.2-'] ratio equal to 1.3 provided the best condition for microbial sulphate reduction process in both reactors with mean efficience of 96%. The ethanol addition improved the sulphate reducing process. The sulfide generated was partialy oxidized to elemental sulphur in the aerobic reactor with removal efficience of 80% (AU)