Post-treatment of anaerobically degraded azo dye Acid Red 18 using aerobic moving bed biofilm process: enhanced removal of aromatic amines

Regulating microbial redox reactions towards enhanced removal of refractory organic nitrogen from wastewater

Biotechnology for wastewater treatment is mainstream and effective depending upon microbial redox reactions to eliminate diverse contaminants and ensure aquatic ecological health. However, refractory organic nitrogen compounds (RONCs, e.g., nitro-, azo-, amide-, and N-heterocyclic compounds) with complex structures and high toxicity inhibit microbial metabolic activity and limit the transformation of organic nitrogen to inorganic nitrogen. This will eventually result in non-compliance with nitrogen discharge standards. Numerous efforts suggested that applying exogenous electron donors or acceptors, such as solid electrodes (electrostimulation) and limited oxygen (micro-aeration), could potentially regulate microbial redox reactions and catabolic pathways, and facilitate the biotransformation of RONCs. This review provides comprehensive insights into the microbial regulation mechanisms and applications of electrostimulation and micro-aeration strategies to accelerate the biotransformation of RONCs to organic amine (amination) and inorganic ammonia (ammonification), respectively. Furthermore, a promising approach involving in-situ hybrid anaerobic biological units, coupled with electrostimulation and micro-aeration, is proposed towards engineering applications. Finally, employing cutting-edge methods including multi-omics analysis, data science driven machine learning, technology-economic analysis, and life-cycle assessment would contribute to optimizing the process design and engineering implementation. This review offers a fundamental understanding and inspiration for novel research in the enhanced biotechnology towards RONCs elimination.

Adsorptive removal of acid red 18 dye from aqueous solution using hexadecyl-trimethyl ammonium chloride modified nano-pumice

Discharging untreated dye-containing wastewater gives rise to environmental pollution. The present study investigated the removal efficiency and adsorption mechanism of Acid Red 18 (AR18) utilizing hexadecyl-trimethyl ammonium chloride (HDTMA.Cl) modified Nano-pumice (HMNP), which is a novel adsorbent for AR18 removal. The HDTMA.Cl is characterized by XRD, XRF, FESEM, TEM, BET and FTIR analysis. pH, contact time, initial concentration of dye and adsorbent dose were the four different parameters for investigating their effects on the adsorption process. Response surface methodology-central composite design was used to model and improve the study to reduce expenses and the number of experiments. According to the findings, at the ideal conditions (pH = 4.5, sorbent dosage = 2.375 g/l, AR18 concentration = 25 mg/l, and contact time = 70 min), the maximum removal effectiveness was 99%. The Langmuir (R2 = 0.996) and pseudo-second-order (R2 = 0.999) models were obeyed by the adsorption isotherm and kinetic, respectively. The nature of HMNP was discovered to be spontaneous, and thermodynamic investigations revealed that the AR18 adsorption process is endothermic. By tracking the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent for five cycles under ideal conditions, the reusability of HMNP was examined, which showed a reduction in HMNP's adsorption effectiveness from 99 to 85% after five consecutive recycles.

Effective adsorption of Orange G dye using chitosan cross-linked by glutaraldehyde and reinforced with quartz sand

In this study, quartz sand (QS) incorporated into a crosslinked chitosan-glutaraldehyde matrix (QS@Ch-Glu) was prepared and employed as an efficient adsorbent for the elimination of Orange G (OG) dye from water. The sorption process is adequately described by the pseudo-second order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model with maximum adsorption capacities of 172.65, 188.18, and 206.65mg/g at 25, 35, and 45 °C, respectively. A statistical physics model was adopted to elucidate the adsorption mechanism of OG on QS@Ch-Glu. Calculated thermodynamic factors revealed that the adsorption of OG is endothermic, spontaneous, and occurs via physical interactions. Overall, the proposed adsorption mechanism was based on electrostatic attractions, n-π stacking interaction, hydrogen bonding interaction, and Yoshida hydrogen bonding. The adsorption rate of QS@Ch-Glu was still above 95 % even after 6 cycles of adsorption and desorption. Furthermore, QS@Ch-Glu demonstrated high efficiency in real water samples. All these findings demonstrate that QS@Ch-Glu is qualified for practical applications.

High-Performance Integrated rGO-[Polymeric Ionic Liquid] [Heteropolyanions] for Catalytic Degradation of Azo Dyes

Polymeric ionic liquid (such as poly[ViEtIm]Br)-modified reduced graphene oxide (rGO), rGO-poly[ViEtIm]Br, was nominated as an open carrier to construct a degradation platform. The large specific surface of rGO together with the anion-exchange property of poly[ViEtIm]Br terminals led to the wide growth of heteropolyanions (like [PW₁₂O₄₀]^3-, [PMo₁₂O₄₀]^3-, and [SiW₁₂O₄₀]^4-), thus assembling the integrated catalyst rGO-poly[ViEtIm][heteropolyanions]. The grafted poly[ViEtIm]Br provided an anchor point to interlink the polar heteropolyanions and the nonpolar rGO substrate, endowing this graphene-based catalyst with excellent dispersibility. The adequate exposure of heteropolyanions further promoted the decolorization capability during the degradation procedure. Morphology, structure, and properties of materials were confirmed and monitored via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, etc. rGO-poly[ViEtIm][PW₁₂O₄₀] was selected as the optimal catalyst with degradation efficiency toward methyl orange reaching 98.7% in 3 h. In addition, the excellent structural stability of the catalyst improved the decolorization efficiency, which reached 95% after recycling five times.

Removal of Azo Dye Carmoisine by Adsorption Process on Diatomite

This work aims to evaluate the adsorption capacity of an abundant natural diatomite (ND) to remove the azo dye carmoisine, known as a harmful emerging organic pollutant. Indeed, to the best of our knowledge, no results were reported on this subject. The ND was characterized by FTIR, XRD, and SEM/EDX analyses. The experimental study of adsorption was carried out in batch mode. Results showed that ND adsorbent is mainly composed of silica. A fraction of calcite and ankerite was also identified. It is a porous material with a specific surface of about 41 m2.g-1 and with a hydroxyl surface functional group -OH. Adsorption results showed that adsorption process on ND is found to be effective in removing the carmoisine colorant. The adsorption capacity is strongly affected by the adsorbent and adsorbate contents, the solution pH, the work temperature, and the water hardness and mineralization. At room temperature, optimal experimental conditions for the highest adsorption capacity (12 mg.g-1) were colorant concentration 50mg.L-1, pH 2, contact time 30min, and ND content 1 g.L-1. Modeling study has showed that experimental results are well modeled by the Freundlich isotherm in multilayer adsorption. The reaction kinetics are pseudo-second order, and the thermodynamic parameters indicated that the nature of the adsorption process is endothermic and spontaneous.

An enhanced method for the removal of methyl violet dye using magnetite nanoparticles as an adsorbent: Isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic study

A green method has been developed using Gilloy (Tinospora Cordifolia) shoot extract to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). A further modification of MNPs was performed using anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), to remove cationic dye methyl violet (MV) efficiently from the solution. As an adsorbent, SDS modified MNPs (SDS-MNPs) were tested for their ability to remove MV dye. Synthesized MNPs were characterized by ultra violet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In batch adsorption experiments, the effect of adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, time, and pH was evaluated. The maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent for MV dye was found to be 174.2 mg g^-1. The adsorption of dye onto the adsorbent followed Langmuir's isotherm. It was shown that the adsorption kinetics of dyes obeyed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Using thermodynamic parameters, spontaneous and exothermic adsorption was determined. As synthesized nanoparticles are magnetic in nature, regeneration and reusability of MNPs were investigated.

Improved decolorization and mineralization of azo dye in an integrated system of anaerobic bioelectrochemical modules and aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor

In this study, a stacked integrated system with anaerobic bioelectrochemical system (BES) and aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was developed to improve the decolorization and mineralization of azo dye. This stacked BES-MBBR exhibited better performance with acid orange (AO7) decolorization of 96.4 ± 0.6% and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 87.7 ± 4.4%. Contribution of each module in the BES and MBBR stages indicated that BES modules enhanced the pretreatment process in AO7 decolorization, and MBBR played an important role in further removal of COD. The mechanism analysis indicated that the azo bond was cleaved with reductive decolorization at biocathode in the anaerobic BES stages, and then the intermediate products can be further oxidized with COD removal in the aerobic MBBR stage. This work demonstrated that the integrated system with stacked anaerobic BES and aerobic MBBR could provide a promising way for the pretreatment and post-treatment of refractory wastewater.

Adsorption Behaviors of Cationic Methylene Blue and Anionic Reactive Blue 19 Dyes onto Nano-Carbon Adsorbent Carbonized from Small Precursors

In this work, an innovative nano-carbon material (N-CM) adsorbent was reported for exploring its adsorption behaviors toward cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic reactive blue 19 (RB19) pollutants. The proposed N-CM was synthesized by a one-step solvothermal treatment of citric acid and zinc gluconate small precursors. N-CM consists of nanosheets that have an advantageous specific surface area, large sp2/sp3 hybridized domains, and abundant nitrogen/oxygen-containing surface functional groups. The synergistic effects of these features are conducive to the MB and RB19 adsorption. Different from anionic RB19 adsorption (79.54 mg/g) by the cooperative π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding, cationic MB adsorbed onto N-CM mainly by the electrostatic attraction at the natural pH solution (> pHpzc), with an adsorption capacity up to 118.98 mg/g. Interestingly, both MB and RB19 adsorption conformed to the pseudo-second order kinetic (R2 ≥ 0.995) and Langmuir isothermal (R2 ≥ 0.990) models, accompanied by similar maximum monolayer adsorption capacities of 120.77 and 116.01 mg/g, respectively. Their adsorption processes exhibited spontaneously endothermic characteristics. Moreover, N-CM showed superior selective capability toward MB in different mixed dye systems, with high removal efficiencies of 73−89%. These results demonstrate that the high-performance carbon adsorbent prepared from small precursors via low-temperature carbonization shows great potentials in wastewater treatment.

Acid red 18 removal from aqueous solution by nanocrystalline granular ferric hydroxide (GFH); optimization by response surface methodology & genetic-algorithm

The need for fresh water is more than before by population growth, and industrial development have affected the quality of water supplies, one of the important reason for water contamination is synthetic dyes and their extensive use in industries. Adsorption has been considered as a common methods for dye removal from waters. In this study, Acid Red18 removal in batch mode by using Granular Ferric Hydroxide (GFH) was investigated. The GFH characterized by XRD, FESEM and FTIR analysis. Experiments were designed using RSM-CCD method. The maximum removal efficiency was obtained 78.59% at pH = 5, GFH dosage = 2 g/l, AR18 concentration = 77.5 mg/l and 85 min of contact time. Optimization with RSM and Genetic Algorithm carried out and is similar together. The non-linear adsorption Isotherm and kinetic fitted with Freundlich (R2 = 0.978) and pseudo-second-order (R2 = 0.989) models, respectively. Thermodynamic studies showed that the AR18 adsorption is endothermic process and GFH nature was found spontaneous.

Biodegradation of acid red 3BN dye in sequential batch reactor: parameters and kinetics studies

Textile and dye industries generate wastewater which is considered as highly polluted and carcinogenic. Due to this, treatment of wastewater is required earlier to discharge or recycle. In the present studies, treatment of dye bearing water (DBW) has been explored. The treatment was performed using activated sludge (mixed culture) for aerobic process in sequential batch reactor (SBR). The fill volume (V F) and fill time (t F) variation in the treatment of DBW was taken place. The initial value of dye concentration, chemical oxygen demand (COD), sludge, and hydraulic retention time (HRT) were found to play important role in the treatment. At optimum condition (HRT = 2.5 d), the 86.84% COD reduction of 190 mg/L COD, and 92.33% dye reduction of 339 mg/L dye were achieved. These values are equal to overall 94.85% dye reduction of 500 mg/L, and 93.15% COD reduction of 380 mg/L. As a result, 500 mg/L dye was reduced to 26 mg/L, and 380 mg/L COD was reduced to 25 mg/L. The biodegradation fitted to Monod kinetics, for which kinetics parameter values of specific growth rate constant of biomass µ = 0.0047 h−1, yield coefficient (Y) = 1.059, and substrate utilization rate (q) = 0.0044 h−1 were evaluated at HRT = 2.5 d. The results show, this process can be applied to treat Acid Red 3BN Dye Water (AR3BNDW).

Acclimatization studies for degradation of Acid Red 3BN dye and its treatment in moving bed biofilm reactor

In this study, acclimatization of microorganisms for the degradation of Acid Red 3BN dye bearing water (AR3BNDW) using activated sludge was performed in a cylindrical aerobic reactor. The initial value of chemical oxygen demand (COD), dye, and mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) of activated sludge were evaluated as 870.5, 80.6 and 1200 mg/L The experiments were performed at ambient temperature (25–35 °C) and the stabilization was achieved at 15 d. Maximum reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color were observed to be 94.2%, and 91% after 15 d of acclimatization. After completion of acclimatization process, degradation of dye was studied in moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). In the process, 38, 50, 68 and 76% color reduction were achieved with polymer carrier fill ratio (FR) of 40, 50, 60 and 70%, respectively in 24 h. For effluent flow rate of 180, 240, 300 and 360 mL/h, respectively, the dye reductions of 76, 60, 48 and 36% and COD reductions of 72, 58, 46 and 34% were achieved in 24 h

Evaluation of tire derived rubber (TDR) fixed biofilm reactor (FBR) for remediation of Methylene blue dye from wastewater

The present investigation is focused on development of aerobic biofilm on tire-derived rubber (TDR) media and then evaluation of such system for bioremediation of Methylene blue (MB) dye for 9 weeks. After 9 weeks of operation, the COD, BOD, ammonia and color values have been declined by 89.2%, 98.3%, 99.61% and 99.81%, respectively, While SEM-EDX results showed a variance in weight percent of various elements in TDR without biofilm i.e. raw TDR media, as well as in the 1st and 9th-week samples. Moreover, fine and strong peaks were observed in both the MB simulated wastewater and 9th week TDR samples at 1190, 1300, 1400, 1450, 1500 and 1618 cm^-1 respectively by Raman Spectroscopic analysis. Further, FTIR analysis was performed for the MB simulated wastewater, and absorbance peaks ranging from 1591 to 1363 cm^-1 and 3410 cm^-1 were observed in all the samples with different intensities. To assess the biodeterioration of the TDR media, ATR was performed for the raw, 1st, 2nd and 9th week TDR media samples and in the raw TDR, two important bands, 842 and 2962 cm^-1 were noticed representing -CH = CH and -CH₃. A clear variation of bands and peak intensities were observed in different support media samples. The results indicate that TDR media is a resilient, chemically resistant material and could be employed for the biofilm growth for biological treatment of textile dye wastewater.

The reaction of wastewater treatment and power generation of single chamber microbial fuel cell against substrate concentration and anode distributions

This study demonstrated the effectiveness of single chamber up-flow membrane-less microbial fuel cell (UFML-MFC) in wastewater treatment concurrently with bioelectricity generation. The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of influent substrate concentration (0.405 g/L, 0.810 g/L, 1.215 g/L, 1.620 g/L), anode distributions (11 cm, 17 cm, 23 cm ) and surface morphologies for biofilm formation on the performance of wastewater treatment and power generation. The optimum performance was obtained with substrate concentration of 0.810 g/L. The COD removal efficiency, output voltage, internal resistance, power density and current density obtained were 84.64%, 610 mV, 200 Ω, 162.59 mW/m2 and 468.74 mA/m2, respectively. The Coulombic Efficiency (CE), Normalized Energy Recovery (NERS and NERv) were 1.03%, 789.38 kWh/kg COD and 22.56 kWh/m3, respectively. The results also indicate that the output voltage and power generation obtained in a continuous up-flow MFC were higher with A3 (23 cm), which is of larger electrodes spacing followed by A2 (17 cm) and A1 (11 cm) caused by the enrichment of anaerobic microbial population at A1.

Application of solid waste of ductile cast iron industry for treatment of wastewater contaminated by reactive blue dye via appropriate nano-porous magnesium oxide

The solid waste of ductile iron industry, which contains at least 88.0% magnesium oxide, is one of the toxic materials, leading to land contamination. On the other hand, the removal of reactive dyes from wastewaters is difficult required effective adsorbent like nano-porous MgO. The novelty of present investigation is based on nano-porous magnesium oxide production by precipitation from the solid waste to treat the wastewaters contaminated by reactive dye which is abundantly used in the textile industry. In order to improve the adsorptive properties of extracted MgO powder, the combinations of surfactants, containing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and polyoxyethylene octyl phenyl ether (TX100) were applied based on the mixture design algorithm in the precipitation. The effects of processing factors such as surfactant composition, powder calcination temperature, surfactant dose and pH were evaluated on the removal efficiency. The results revolved that the combination of SDS and TX100, 1:1, plays an effective role in the production of particles with the appropriate average pore size, 16 nm. The adsorbent prepared in the optimum condition indicated a significant affinity for the removal of reactive dye which shows relatively pH-independent efficiency in the range of 3-9. The applied producer for fabrication of adsorbent eventually overcomes the pH-dependent problem for the toxic dye uptake, leading to produce the adsorbent with maximal adsorption capacity of 1000 mg g^-1.

A magnetically separable and recyclable g-C3N4/Fe3O4/porous ruthenium nanocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of water-soluble aromatic amines and azo dyes

Herein, we present the development of a visible-light-driven magnetically retrievable nanophotocatalyst made of porous ruthenium nanoparticles supported on magnetic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/p-RuNP) for the facile removal/degradation of aromatic amines and azo dyes from wastewater. Aromatic amines and azo-based dyes in water bodies are highly toxic and carcinogenic even at very low concentrations and are difficult to separate because of their high solubility. Our nanocatalyst can efficiently degrade/decompose the aromatic amines and azo dyes under visible light (LED/sunlight) at room temperature and in a wide pH range (pH 5.0–9.0) without using any external chemicals. The magnetic property of the nanocatalyst facilitates its efficient and facile separation from the reaction mixture for reuse in multiple photocatalytic cycles. The nanocatalyst-based degradation of azo dyes and aromatic amines presented here is simple and convenient in terms of efficiency, energy, reusability and cost. The process also does not require any external chemicals and forms gaseous/less harmful end products.

A magnetically separable and recyclable g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/porous ruthenium nanocatalyst display excellent photocatalytic degradation of water-soluble aromatic amines and azo dyes at ambient condition.

Preparation of novel Ti-based MnOx electrodes by spraying method for electrochemical oxidation of Acid Red B

At different calcination conditions, titanium-based manganese oxides (MnO_x) electrodes were fabricated by spraying method without adhesive. The MnO_x/Ti electrodes were applied in electrochemical oxidation of wastewater treatment for the first time. The surface morphologies of electrodes were tested by scanning electron microscopy. The formation of different manganese oxidation states on electrodes was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties of the electrodes have been performed by means of cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The characterizations revealed that the MnO_x/Ti-350(20) electrode, prepared at calcination temperature of 350 °C for 20 min, exhibited fewer cracks on the electrode surface, larger electrochemically effective surface area and lower charge transfer resistance than electrodes prepared at other calcination conditions. Moreover, Acid Red B was used as target pollutant to test the electrode activity via monitoring the concentration changes by UV spectrophotometer. The results showed that the MnO_x/Ti-350(20) electrode presented the best performance on decolorization of Acid Red B with the lowest cell potential during the process of electrochemical oxidation, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) conversion was 50.7%. Furthermore, the changes of Acid Red B during the electrochemical oxidation process were proposed by the UV-vis spectra.

Stimulation of anaerobic biofilm development in the presence of low concentrations of toxic aromatic pollutants

The main aim of this work was to stimulate biofilm formation in the presence of wastewater containing aromatic compounds with different toxicities (EC₅₀). The results indicated that wastewater with an EC₅₀ value >85% accelerates the attachment of bacteria onto the bio-carriers because the toxic wastewater stimulates the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from the seed sludge. In order to understand the role of EPS on biofilm development, experiments were conducted using the seed sludge, from which the soluble, loosely bound, and tightly bound EPS were removed. The soluble EPS fraction was determined to be crucial for biofilm development. Firmicutes bacterium and Clostridium chromoreductans survived and were enriched in the formed biofilms in our study, which can resist toxic aromatics.

Enhanced biodiesel industry wastewater treatment via a hybrid MBBR combined with advanced oxidation processes: analysis of active microbiota and toxicity removal

In the present study, a multistage route is proposed for the treatment of biodiesel industry wastewater (BWW) containing around 1000 mg L^-1 of total organic carbon (TOC), 3500 mg L^-1 of chemical oxygen demand (COD), and 1325 mg L^-1 of oil and grease. Initially, BWW aerobic biodegradability was assessed via Zhan-Wellens biodegradability test to confirm the appropriate treatment route. Then, a hybrid moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) system was chosen as the first treatment stage. The hybrid MBBR achieved 69 and 68% removal of COD and TOC removals, respectively, and provided great conditions for biomass growth. The bacterial community present in the hybrid MBBR was investigated by PCR-DGGE and potential biodegraders were identified such as: members of Desulfuromonadales, Nocardioidaceae and Pseudomonadaceae. Since biodegradation in the hybrid MBBR alone was unable to meet quality requirements, advanced oxidation processes, such as Fenton and photo-Fenton, were optimized for application as additional treatment stages. Physicochemical properties and acute toxicity of BWW were analyzed after the multistage routes: hybrid MBBR + Fenton, hybrid MBBR + photo-Fenton and hybrid MBBR + UV-C_254nm/H₂O₂. Hybrid MBBR + Fenton or photo-Fenton showed overall COD removal efficiencies greater than 95% and removed acute toxicity, thus being appropriate integrated routes for the treatment of real BWW. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Application of response surface methodology in physicochemical removal of dyes from wastewater: A critical review

Response surface methodology (RSM) is a powerful tool in designing the experiments and optimizing different environmental processes. However, when it comes to wastewater treatment and specifically dye-containing wastewater, two questions arise; "Is RSM being used correctly?" and "Are all capabilities of RSM being exploited properly?". The current review paper aims to answer these questions by scrutinizing different physicochemical processes that utilized RSM in dye removal. The literature that applied RSM to adsorption, advanced oxidation processes, coagulation/flocculation and electrocoagulation processes were critically reviewed in this paper. The common errors in applying RSM to physicochemical removal of dyes are identified and some suggestions are made for future studies.

Sequential anaerobic-aerobic treatment using plant microbe integrated system for degradation of azo dyes and their aromatic amines by-products

The presence of unused dyes and dye degradation intermediates in the textile industry wastewaters is the major challenge in its treatment. A wide range of treatments including various physicochemical processes are used for this wastewater. Incomplete dye degradation results in hazardous colorless aromatic amine intermediates that are teratogenic in nature. A synergistic plant-microbe system operated in a sequential anaerobic-aerobic mode was evaluated for the complete degradation of a model azo dye methyl red under laboratory conditions. The degradation of methyl red and its break down products 2-aminobenzoic acid and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine were analysed by HPLC, FTIR and GC-MS. The vetiver-microbe system had shown enhanced dye degradation. The dye decolourization percentage achieved for integrated plant-microbe treatment system (T) after anaerobic condition was 53.5 ± 6.2% and aerobic condition was 92 ± 3.4%. The removal efficiency of the intermediates 2-ABA and DMPD was found to be 89.79% in the integrated plant-microbe treatment system. The plant-microbe system was most effective in the removal of toxic aromatic amine as seen by lesser phytotoxicity for seed germination and teratogenicity in case of zebrafish development in the treated water.

Fe3O4-CS-L: a magnetic core-shell nano adsorbent for highly efficient methyl orange adsorption

A novel core-shell bio-adsorbent was fabricated by using biological materials for removing methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solution. The structure characteristics results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) shows that Fe₃O₄-CS-L has been successfully prepared. The effects of contact time, pH, temperature and initial concentration were explored. The results suggested pH was a negligible factor in adsorption progress. Kinetic studies showed that the experiment data followed pseudo-second-order model. Boyd mode suggested that external mass transfer showed a rather weak rate control for MO adsorption onto Fe₃O₄-CS-L. Equilibrium studies showed that isotherm data were the best described by Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity of MO estimated to be 338.98 mg/g at 298 K. Moreover, the adsorption capacity of Fe₃O₄-CS-L can keep about 74% in the fifth adsorption-regeneration cycle. Thus, the Fe₃O₄-CS-L could be a kind of promising material for removing MO from wastewater.

Exploring the potential of anaerobic sulfate reduction process in treating sulfonated diazo dye: Microbial community analysis using bar-coded pyrosequencing

Anaerobic decolorization and biotransformation of azo dye was investigated in a sulfate-reducing environment. Batch reactor studies were performed with mixed cultures of anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRBs) enriched from anaerobic digester sludge. Complete sulfate and color removal were achieved in batch experiments with different initial dye concentrations (50-2500mg/L) and 1000mg/L of sulfate. Induction of various oxidoreductive enzyme activities such as phenol oxidase, veratryl alcohol oxidase, lignin peroxidase, and azo reductase was studied to understand their involvement in dye metabolism under anoxic environment. The degradation of Cotton Red B was confirmed using high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Sulfidogenic sludge demonstrated excellent dye degradation and mineralization ability, producing aniline and 1,4-diamino benzene as metabolites. A barcoded 16S rRNA gene-pyrosequencing approach was used to assess the bacterial diversity in the sludge culture and a phylogenetic tree was constructed for sulfate-reducing bacteria.

Comparison of three combined sequencing batch reactor followed by enhanced Fenton process for an azo dye degradation: Bio-decolorization kinetics study

The purpose of this research was to compare three combined sequencing batch reactor (SBR) - Fenton processes as post-treatment for the treatment of azo dye Acid Red 18 (AR18). Three combined treatment systems (CTS1, CTS2 and CTS3) were operated to investigate the biomass concentration, COD removal, AR18 dye decolorization and kinetics study. The MLSS concentration of CTS2 reached 7200 mg/L due to the use of external feeding in the SBR reactor of CTS2. The COD concentration remained 273 mg/L and 95 mg/L (initial COD=3270 mg/L) at the end of alternating anaerobic-aerobic SBR with external feeding (An-A MSBR) and CTS2, respectively, resulting in almost 65% of Fenton process efficiency. The dye concentration of 500 mg/L was finally reduced to less than 10mg/L in all systems indicating almost complete AR18 decolorization, which was also confirmed by UV-vis analysis. The dye was removed following two successive parts as parts 1 and 2 with pseudo zero-order and pseudo first-order kinetics, respectively, in all CTSs. Higher intermediate metabolites degradation was obtained using HPLC analysis in CTS2. Accordingly, a combined treatment system can be proposed as an appropriate and environmentally-friendly system for the treatment of the azo dye AR18 in wastewater.

Recent advances in new generation dye removal technologies: novel search for approaches to reprocess wastewater

In order to control the negative impacts of dyes on living organisms, several techniques and methodologies have been developed for their removal from industry effluents and other water bodies.

Fate and transformation of naphthylaminesulfonic azo dye reactive black 5 during wastewater treatment process

Certain aromatic amines generated by the decolorization of some azo dyes are not removed substantially by conventional anaerobic-aerobic biotreatment. These aromatic amines are potentially toxic and often released in the wastewater of industrial plants. In this study, the fate and transformation of the naphthylaminesulfonic azo dye Reactive Black 5 (RB5) during different phases of a sequencing batch reactor were investigated. The major products of RB5 decolorization during the anaerobic phase include 2-[(4-aminophenyl)sulfonyl]ethyl hydrogen sulfate (APSEHS) and 1-2-7-triamino-8-hydroxy-3-6-naphthalinedisulfate (TAHNDS). During the aerobic phase, APSEHS was hydrolyzed and produced 4-aminobenzenesulfonic acid, which was further degraded via dearomatization. TAHNDS was transformed rapidly via auto-oxidation into TAHNDSDP-1 and TAHNDSDP-2, which were not further removed by the activated sludge during the entire 30-day aerobic phase. In contrast, different behaviors of TAHNDS were observed during the anoxic phase. The transformation of TAHNDS was initiated either by deamination or desulfonation reaction. TAHNDS was then converted into 3,5-diamino-4-hydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonic acid, which was subsequently removed via ring cleavage reaction under aerobic condition. In conclusion, complete degradation of TAHNDS by activated sludge occurs only during anoxic/aerobic processes instead of the conventional anaerobic/aerobic processes.

Utilization of moving bed biofilm reactor for industrial wastewater treatment containing ethylene glycol: kinetic and performance study

One of the requirements for environmental engineering, which is currently being considered, is the removal of ethylene glycol (EG) as a hazardous environmental pollutant from industrial wastewater. Therefore, in a recent study, a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was applied at pilot scale to treat industrial effluents containing different concentrations of EG (600, 800, 1200, and 1800 mg L-1 ). The removal efficiency and kinetic analysis of the system were examined at different hydraulic retention times of 6, 8, 10, and 12 h as well as influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) ranged between values of 1000 and 3000mg L-1. In minimum and maximum COD Loadings, the MBBR showed 95.1% and 60.7% removal efficiencies, while 95.9% and 66.2% EG removal efficiencies were achieved in the lowest and highest EG concentrations. The results of the reactor modelling suggested compliance of the well-known modified Stover-Kincannon model with the system.

Evaluation of integrated anaerobic-aerobic biofilm reactor for degradation of azo dye methyl orange

This study was to investigate the mineralization of wastewater containing methyl orange (MO) in integrated anaerobic-aerobic biofilm reactor with coconut fiber as bio-material. Different aeration periods (3h in phase 1 and 2; 3, 6 and 15 h in phase 3; 24 h in phase 4 and 5) in aerobic chamber were studied with different MO concentration 50, 100, 200, 200 and 300 mg/L as influent from phase 1-5. The color removals estimated from the standard curve of dye versus optical density at its maximum absorption wavelength were 97%, 96%, 97%, 97%, and 96% and COD removals were 75%, 72%, 63%, 81%, and 73% in phase 1-5, respectively. The MO decolorization and COD degradation followed first-order kinetic model and second-order kinetic model, respectively. GC-MS analysis indicated the symmetrical cleavage of azo bond and the reduction in aromatic peak ensured the partial mineralization of MO.

Current and future trends for biofilm reactors for fermentation processes

Biofilms in the environment can both cause detrimental and beneficial effects. However, their use in bioreactors provides many advantages including lesser tendencies to develop membrane fouling and lower required capital costs, their higher biomass density and operation stability, contribution to resistance of microorganisms, etc. Biofilm formation occurs naturally by the attachment of microbial cells to the support without use of any chemicals agent in biofilm reactors. Biofilm reactors have been studied and commercially used for waste water treatment and bench and pilot-scale production of value-added products in the past decades. It is important to understand the fundamentals of biofilm formation, physical and chemical properties of a biofilm matrix to run the biofilm reactor at optimum conditions. This review includes the principles of biofilm formation; properties of a biofilm matrix and their roles in the biofilm formation; factors that improve the biofilm formation, such as support materials; advantages and disadvantages of biofilm reactors; and industrial applications of biofilm reactors.

Evaluation of integrated anaerobic/aerobic fixed-bed sequencing batch biofilm reactor for decolorization and biodegradation of azo dye acid red 18: comparison of using two types of packing media

Two integrated anaerobic/aerobic fixed-bed sequencing batch biofilm reactor (FB-SBBR) were operated to evaluate decolorization and biodegradation of azo dye Acid Red 18 (AR18). Volcanic pumice stones and a type of plastic media made of polyethylene were used as packing media in FB-SBBR1 and FB-SBBR2, respectively. Decolorization of AR18 in both reactors followed first-order kinetic with respect to dye concentration. More than 63.7% and 71.3% of anaerobically formed 1-naphthylamine-4-sulfonate (1N-4S), as one of the main sulfonated aromatic constituents of AR18 was removed during the aerobic reaction phase in FB-SBBR1 and FB-SBBR2, respectively. Based on statistical analysis, performance of FB-SBBR2 in terms of COD removal as well as biodegradation of 1N-4S was significantly higher than that of FB-SBBR1. Spherical and rod shaped bacteria were the dominant species of bacteria in the biofilm grown on the pumice stones surfaces, while, the biofilm grown on surfaces of the polyethylene media had a fluffy structure.

Reductive transformation and detoxification mechanism of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene in combined zero valent iron and anaerobic-aerobic process

A combined zero valent iron (ZVI) and anaerobic-aerobic process was adopted for the treatment of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-containing wastewater. The transformation pathway, reduction of acute toxicity and enhancement of biodegradability were investigated. After pretreatment by ZVI, DNCB in wastewater could be completely converted into 2,4-diaminochlorobenzene (DACB). The ratio of BOD5/COD increased from 0.005 +/- 0.001 to 0.168 +/- 0.007, while EC(50, 48 hr) (V/V) increased from 0.65% to 5.20%, indicating the enhancement of biodegradability and reduction of acute toxicity with the pretreatment by ZVI. DACB was further dechlorinated to m-phenylenediamine during the anaerobic process using methanol as electron donor, with EC(50, 48 hr) increasing from 5.20% to 48.2%. After the subsequent anaerobic-aerobic process, m-phenylenediamine was degraded completely, with effluent COD of 67.5 +/- 10.8 mg/L. This effluent of the subsequent anaerobic-aerobic process was not toxic to zebrafish. The combined ZVI and anaerobic-aerobic process offers bright prospects for the treatment of chlorinated nitroaromatic compound-containing wastewater.