Abstract
AbstractSequential biological anaerobic–aerobic treatment of oil shale ash dump leachate was studied using laboratory‐scale reactors and bioassays. The COD of the leachate was 2·0–3·0 g dm−3. The leachate was known to contain several phenolic compounds and to have a high sulphur concentration. The proportion of the leachate in the feed of the biological process was gradually increased during a 309 day test period. With 100% leachate in the feed, COD removal was 35% in the anaerobic stage while in the combined process the COD and BOD7 removals were up to 75% and 99%, respectively. The removal of total phenols was insignificant in the anaerobic stage, while up to 85% removal was obtained by the combined anaerobic–aerobic process. In the anaerobic stage, degradation of organic compounds was mainly a result of sulphide production. The results demonstrated that the leachates were amenable to biological treatment.
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