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Nitrate removal from the effluent of a fertilizer industry using a bioreactor packed with immobilized cells of Pseudomonas stutzeriandComamonas testosteroni

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Abstract

A bioreactor for the removal of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) from industrial effluent is described which is comprised of a glass column (60 cm × 6 cm) packed with alginate beads containing denitrifying organisms Pseudomonas stutzeri and Comamonas testosteroni. The effluent containing high concentrations of nitrate (600–950 mg l−1) from the fertilizer industry and fusel oil (methanol as a major component) as organic carbon were used in the process. The reactor is operated in the continuous mode by injecting the pretreated nitrate-containing effluent at the top of the column. The Hydraulic retention time (HRT) was adjusted by changing the flow rates. When nitrate-containing wastewater was treated with immobilized cells, the nitrate removal rate reached a maximum 1.66 ± 0.07 Kg NO3-N m−3d−1 at an influent NO3-N concentration of 850 mg NO3M-N l−1within 12 h. The denitrification activity of the immobilized cells was compared with that of the free cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre, Faculty of Science, M.S. University of Baroda, Gujarat, India

    Swati L. Zala

  2. Narmada Valley Fertilizer Company Ltd., Gujarat, India

    Jayalexmy Ayyer & Anjana J. Desai

Authors
  1. Swati L. Zala
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  2. Jayalexmy Ayyer
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  3. Anjana J. Desai
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Zala, S.L., Ayyer, J. & Desai, A.J. Nitrate removal from the effluent of a fertilizer industry using a bioreactor packed with immobilized cells of Pseudomonas stutzeriandComamonas testosteroni . World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 20, 661–665 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-004-9982-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-004-9982-8

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