The study of electron equivalent fluxes about decomposition of sulfamethazine and sulfathiazole using oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactor

Abstract

The subject of this research was electron equivalent fluxes about the decomposition of pharmaceuticals (sulfamethazine and sulfathiazole) using an oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR). The influent concentrations in pharmaceuticals feed-medium were (in ppb): sulfamethazine (40) and sulfathiazole (85). The oxygen-based MBfR system consisted of two membrane modules connected to a recirculation loop. The main membrane module contained a bundle of 32 hydrophobic hollow-fiber membranes inside a polyvinyl-chloride pipe shell and the other module contained a single fiber used to take biofilm samples. Pure O2 was supplied to the inside of the hollow fibers through the manifold at the base, and the O2 pressure for both reactors was 13 kPa. (1 kPa = 0.0099 atm = 0.145 psi). HRT was 3 h. The decomposition ratio of pharmaceuticals (sulfamethazine and sulfathiazole) using oxygen-based MBfR was (%): sulfamethazine (77 ± 2) and sulfathiazole (87 ± 2). In all cases, nitrification was the largest provider of electrons, together accounted for at least 99.98% of the total electron flux.