Transformation of roxarsone in the anoxic–oxic process when treating the livestock wastewater

Abstract

In order to evaluate the influence of roxarsone (ROX) on the livestock wastewater treatment, a lab-scale pilot employing an anoxic–oxic (A-O) process was investigated by adding different concentrations of ROX at different periods. The mass balance of arsenic (As) in the A-O system was established through the analysis of As speciation and As migration in the gas, liquid and solid phases. The results showed that around 80% of total ROX (initial concentration was 50mgROXL−1) was eliminated in the anoxic reactor (R1) in which at least about 11% of total ROX was transformed to inorganic Asv (iAsv) due to the direct breaking of the C-As bond of ROX. Inorganic AsIII (iAsIII) and arsine (AsH3) were produced in R1, while the generated iAsIII in the effluent of R1 was almost completely oxidized to iAsV in the aerobic reactor (R2). However, the concentration of ROX in the effluent of R2 was almost the same as that in the effluent of R1. After 85days operation, iAsV and residual ROX as the main forms of As were observed after the A-O process. Furthermore, the mass balance of As at steady state revealed that around 0.08%, 3.91% and 96.01% of total As was transformed into gas (biogas), solid (excess sludge) and liquid (effluent). Additionally, the 16S rRNA analysis demonstrated that the existence of ROX in livestock wastewater may play a crucial role in the diversity of bacterial community in the A-O system.