Upflow anaerobic filter for the degradation of adsorbable organic halides (AOX) from bleach composite wastewater of pulp and paper industry.

The removal of AOX from bleach plant effluent of pulp and paper industry was studied using upflow anaerobic filter. In this paper biodegradation of AOX at different concentrations and effect of electron donors like acetate and glucose thereon in an upflow anaerobic filter at 20 d HRT is described. Results showed significant improvement in AOX degradation when electron donors such as acetate and glucose were supplemented to the influent. AOX degradation was 88% at 28 mg AOX L(-1) and 28% at 42 mg AOX L(-1). The percent degradation efficiency was enhanced to 90.7, 90.2, and 93.0 at 28 mg AOX L(-1) when the influent was supplemented with glucose, acetate and both glucose and acetate, respectively. Similarly, the efficiency was 57, 56.6 and 79.6 at 42 mg AOX L(-1) when the influent was supplemented with glucose, acetate and both glucose and acetate, respectively. The GC-MS analysis data indicated that supplementation of the influent with electron donor increased the biodegradability of number of chlorinated organic compounds.

Two-stage anaerobic digestion process for complete inactivation of enteric bacterial pathogens in human night soil.

Anaerobic digestion offers a good alternative for human waste treatment. However, the fate of enteric bacterial pathogens present in human night soil (HNS) remains a major concern for hygienic safety of the process. A two-stage anaerobic digestion process, consisting of separate acidogenic and methanogenic digesters, was designed and its efficacy in the inactivation of Salmonella typhi was compared to a single-stage digestion process. In a single-stage digestion, complete pathogen inactivation was achieved only in the digesters with high levels of volatile fatty acids (VFA approximately equal to 18,000 mg/l) and acidic pH (approximately equal to 6.0). These digesters, however, showed drastic reduction in methane yield. In the two-stage digestion process, S. typhi was completely inactivated in the acidogenic digester and the methanogenic digester was free from the pathogen even after receiving a daily dose of the pathogen. The process also achieved complete inactivation of other enteric pathogens, viz., Shigella dysenteriae and Vibrio cholerae. The two-stage process was efficient in biogas generation from HNS. Thus, the two-stage process ensures complete hygienic safety in anaerobic digestion of human night soil.

Metabolite and enzyme profiles of glycogen metabolism in Methanococcoides methylutens.

When a buffered anaerobic cell suspension of Methanococcoides methylutens was maintained under methanol-limited conditions, intracellular glycogen and hexose phosphates were consumed rapidly and a very small amount of methane formed at 4 h of a starvation period. When methanol was supplemented after a total of 20 h of starvation, a reverse pattern was observed: the glycogen level and the hexose phosphate pool increased, and formation of methane took place after a lag period of 90 min. A considerable amount of methane was formed in 120 min after its detection with a rate of 0.18 micromol mg(-1) protein min(-1). When methane formation decreased after 270 min of incubation and finally came to a halt, probably due to complete assimilation of supplemented methanol, the levels of glycogen and hexose monophosphates decreased once again. However fructose 1,6-diphosphate levels showed a continuous increase even after exhaustion of methane formation. In contrast to the hexose phosphate pool, levels of other metabolites showed a small increase after addition of methanol. The enzyme profile of glycogen metabolism showed relatively high levels of triose phosphate isomerase. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase reacted with NADPH with a three-fold higher activity as compared to that with NADH.

Inactivation of Salmonella typhi by high levels of volatile fatty acids during anaerobic digestion.

Survival of Salmonella typhi was investigated in an anaerobic digester for cattle dung with volatile fatty acid (VFA) levels of 5000 mg l(-1) and pH 6.0. The organism was added to the digester only once in the first experiment and daily in the other. Survival was monitored on alternate days. In the single dose experiment, the counts of Salm. typhi declined rapidly and the pathogen was completely eliminated within 12 d in the experimental digester (VFA ca 5000 mg l(-1) and pH 6.0), whereas 26 d were required in the control digester (VFA ca 100 mg l(-1) and pH 6.8). T90 values for the experimental and control digesters were 2.44 d and 4.80 d, respectively. In the daily dose experiment, a four log reduction in the pathogen count was observed in the experimental digester, but only a two log reduction in the control digester at the end of the experimental period. The mean T90 values for the experimental and the control digester were 4.22 d and 18.63 d, respectively. In both the experiments, statistical analysis of the data showed significant differences in the survival pattern of Salm. typhi in the two digesters.