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Effects of salinity, C/S ratio, S/N ratio on the BESI process, and treatment of nanofiltration concentrate

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Abstract

A laboratory-scale biodegradation and electron transfer based on the sulfur metabolism in the integrated (BESI®) process was used to treat a saline petrochemical nanofiltration concentrate (NFC). The integrated process consisted of activated sludge sulfate reduction (SR), and sulfide oxidation (SO) reactors, and a biofilm nitrification reactor. During the process, the total removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen (TN) were 76.2, 83.8, and 73.1%, respectively. In the SR reactor, most of the organic degradation occurred and approximately 70% COD were removed by the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). In the SO reactor, both the autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrifications were observed to take place. In parallel, batch experiments were conducted to detect the effects of different C/S and S/N ratios on COD removal and denitrification efficiency. The batch experiments were also conducted to detect the effects of salinity on COD and sulfate reduction. The composition of pollutants in the wastewater was complex, and some existing organics were not degraded by the SRB. The non-SRB groups also played important roles in the reactor. Under salinity-induced stress, the metabolisms of the SRBs and non-SRB groups were both inhibited. However, 6 g/L NaCl did not have much effect on the final COD removal efficiency. In the batch experiments, the added sulfide served as the electron donor for autotrophic denitrification. The added organics provided substance for heterotrophic denitrification.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Funds for Creative Research Groups of China (No. 51121062) and State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (Harbin Institute of Technology) (No. 2015TS07 and No. HC201621-02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China

    Chao Wei, Li Wei, Dong Wei & Yunfa Zhao

  2. School of Energy and Civil Engineering, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin, 150028, China

    Chunying Li

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  1. Chao Wei
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  2. Li Wei
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  3. Chunying Li
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  4. Dong Wei
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  5. Yunfa Zhao
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Correspondence to Li Wei.

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Responsible editor: Gerald Thouand

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Wei, C., Wei, L., Li, C. et al. Effects of salinity, C/S ratio, S/N ratio on the BESI process, and treatment of nanofiltration concentrate. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 5129–5139 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9585-1

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