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The development of a novel strategy for the microbial treatment of acrylonitrile effluents

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Abstract

Effluent from the manufacture of acrylonitrile is difficult to biodegrade. It contains nine major organic components: acetic acid, acrylonitrile, acrylamide, acrylic acid, acrolein, cyanopyridine, fumaronitrile, succinonitrile, and maleimide. A range of bacteria have been isolated that can grow on, or convert all of the organic components of effluent from the manufacture of acrylonitrile. These bacteria can be used as the basis of a mixed culture system to treat the effluent. The bacteria were utilised in batch and continuous cultures to degrade a synthetic wastewater containing acrylonitrile, acrylamide, acrylic acid, cyanopyridine and succinonitrile. The mixed microbial population was adapted by varying the growth rate and switching from continuous to batch and back to continuous growth, to degrade these five compounds as well as acrolein, fumaronitrile and maleimide.

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Abbreviations

BOD:

Biological Oxygen Demand

COD:

Chemical Oxygen Demand

T D :

Doubling Time

ppm:

parts per million

HPLC:

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography

GLC:

Gas Liquid Chromatography

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Author notes

  1. J. M. Wyatt

    Present address: Viridian Bioprocessing Limited, Thanet Way, CT5 3QT, Whitstable, Kent, Great Britain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Laboratory, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ, Canterbury, Kent, Great Britain

    J. M. Wyatt & C. J. Knowles

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  1. J. M. Wyatt
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  2. C. J. Knowles
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Wyatt, J.M., Knowles, C.J. The development of a novel strategy for the microbial treatment of acrylonitrile effluents. Biodegradation 6, 93–107 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00695340

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