Feasibility assessment of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket treatment of sulfamethoxazole pharmaceutical wastewater

Abstract

Treatment of sulfamethoxazole pharmaceutical wastewater is a big challenge. In this study, a series of anaerobic evaluation tests on pharmaceutical wastewater from different operating units was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using anaerobic digestion, and the results indicated that the key refractory factor for anaerobic treatment of this wastewater was the high sulfate concentration. A laboratory-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was operated for 195 days to investigate the effects of the influent chemical oxygen demand (COD), organic loading rate (OLR), and COD/SO42– ratio on the biodegradation of sulfamethoxazole in pharmaceutical wastewater and the process performance. The electron flow indicated that methanogenesis was still the dominant reaction although sulfidogenesis was enhanced with a stepwise decrease in the influent COD/SO42– ratio. For the treated sulfamethoxazole pharmaceutical wastewater, a COD of 4983 mg/L (diluted by 50%), OLR of 2.5 kg COD/(m3∙d), and COD/SO42– ratio of more than 5 were suitable for practical applications. The recovery performance indicated that the system could resume operation quickly even if production was halted for a few days.