Anaerobic treatment of a petrochemical wastewater from a terephthalic acid plant

Abstract

Anaerobic treatment of terephthalic acid plant wastewater was tested using two UASB reactors (T and U) and a downflow tubular fixed film reactor. UASB T was inoculated with sludge sampled from an anaerobic stabilization pond receiving waste activated sludge from a petrochemical industry treatment plant. UASB U and the fixed film reactor were inoculated with anaerobically adapted activated sludge from a municipal plant. Raw effluent had to be settled and neutralized before reactor feeding. Sedimentation resulted in 70% TSS and 37% COD removal. UASB digesters presented comparable treatment efficiencies with rather low COD removals: the best results were 46.4% for UASB T at 2.6 kg COD/m3·d and a hydraulic retention time (θ) of 2.7 days and 43.9% for UASB U at 2.2 kg COD/m3·d and θ of 3.2 days. The performance of the tubular reactor was much higher, 74.5% COD removal at 1.89 kg/m3·d and θ of 3.4 days. The better efficiencies of this last digester are explained mainly by a higher VSS content and a better resistance to toxicity caused by the aromatics present in the wastewater. A primary settling-anaerobic-aerobic process is proposed as an alternative to the conventional aerobic process for treating terephthalic wastewater, but disposal of solids from primary sedimentation and cost of neutralization have to be considered before application.