Effect of temperature on treating chemical synthesis‐based pharmaceutical wastewater containing 7‐ACA by a novel multi‐stage loop membrane bioreactor

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUND7‐amino cephalosporanic acid (7‐ACA) is the most critical intermediate for cephalosporin antibiotics but has caused serious water pollution. In this study, a bench‐scale test was conducted with a novel multi‐stage loop membrane bioreactor (MsLMBR) to treat chemical synthesis‐based pharmaceutical wastewater containing 7‐ACA.RESULTSThe MsLMBR system comprised a multi‐stage loop aerobic reactor and a separate membrane module operated at different temperatures. Results showed that for MsLMBR1 at 15°C, MsLMBR2 at 25°C and MsLMBR3 at 35°C, the average total chemical oxygen demands (TCODs) of the effluent were all less than 80 mg L−1. For MsLMBR2 and MsLMBR3, the microorganisms had better microbial activities and drug‐resistances, and the biological removal was given priority to TCOD removal. But for MsLMBR1, there was no significant difference between biological removal and physical removal at the early stage. Average 7‐ACA concentration of effluent was less than 40 mg L−1 at 35°C. The laboratory data fitted the simulated data well using a time series analysis model (TSAM) in a MsLMBR system.CONCLUSION7‐ACA pharmaceutical wastewater was effectively treated in a MsLMBR system, which also performed well at low temperature. In addition, the TSAM was a valid means to simulate and predict the efficiency of removal of an organic substance. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry