Coke Oven Wastewater Research Articles

Coke oven wastewater treatment using polymeric and ceramic membranes.

This research is aimed to investigate the efficacy of membrane separation technology in treating coke oven wastewater (COW). A comparative study was conducted using three types of membranes: commercial polymeric (CP) membrane, commercial ceramic (CC) membrane, and synthesized ceramic (SC) membrane. The potential of the SC membrane in COW treatment was assessed in comparison to the CC membrane, which had a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 1 Kilo-Dalton. The experiments were conducted under various trans-membrane pressure (TMP) conditions ranging from 1 to 4bar. Additionally, the effect of the CP membrane on COW treatment was examined at TMP levels ranging from 5 to 25bar. The research findings revealed that the SC membrane exhibited promising results in terms of permeability and flux compared to the CC membrane. Also, a significant reduction was observed in various water parameters such as TSS decreased by 89.74%, chlorides by 8.24%, nitrogen by 10%, and hardness by 22%. Moreover, the study was carried out by implementing an anti-fouling mechanism to mitigate fouling effects on membrane performance.

Synergetic effect using green nano-zero-valent iron and biodegradation (Pseudomonas BSPS_PHE2) for cyanide and phenol removal in coke-oven wastewater

Synergetic effect using green nano-zero-valent iron and biodegradation (Pseudomonas BSPS_PHE2) for cyanide and phenol removal in coke-oven wastewater

End-of-pipe treatment of secondary treated coke-oven wastewater for removal of fluoride, cyanide, phenol, ammoniacal-N and nitrate using waste material: Experiment, modelling and optimization

The present investigation focused on End-of-pipe treatment of secondary treated coke-oven wastewater to remove cyanide, phenol, ammoniacal-N, nitrate and fluoride using earthen tea pot (ETP), a local market waste. The effect of parameters like adsorption time (0–10 h), particle size (1–3 mm) and adsorbent dose (10–30 gL−1) was tested for removal of pollutants from synthetic BOD treated coke-oven wastewater (SBTCW) and maximum removal was obtained as cyanide (95.46 ± 0.004%), phenol (99.70 ± 0.005%), ammoniacal-N (47.88 ± 6.31%), nitrate (61.03 ± 2.12%), and fluoride (92.35 ± 0.09%) at adsorption time 10 h, particle size 1 mm and adsorbent dose 10 gL−1. Kinetic study showed that the fluoride removal data fit satisfactorily to the Pseudo 2nd order kinetic model, whereas the Pseudo 1st order model was found to be fitted well to the kinetic data of all other pollutants. Adsorption isotherm study portrayed that the Freundlich isotherm model holds good to represent equilibrium data for the removal of pollutants. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the removal efficiencies of all five pollutants. The optimum removal condition as shown by RSM study was contact time: 7.3 h, and initial concentrations (ICs) of cyanide, phenol, ammoniacal-N, nitrate and fluoride are 0.71, 10, 400, 100 and 10.1 mgL−1, respectively, and the removal of five pollutants (cyanide, phenol, ammoniacal-N, nitrate and fluoride) were predicted as 40.58%, 90.00%, 41.63%, 96.00% and 45.29%, respectively. Artificial Neural Network model was developed based on experimental points which indicated that the model can calculate abatement of five different pollutants for various operating conditions with reasonably high accuracy. Genetic Algorithm was then used to optimize the removal process of the five pollutants. Regeneration study was conducted to assess the efficacy of the regenerated adsorbent in next cycle of the End-of-pipe treatment of SBTCW. Finally, real secondary treated coke-oven wastewater was collected and treated with the present adsorbent.

Tertiary treatment of coke-oven wastewater using suspended and immobilized whole live cells of constructed bacterial-microalgal consortium: modeling and optimization using ANN-GA hybrid methodology.

Coke-oven wastewater (CW), containing an array of toxic pollutants above permissible limits even after conventional primary and secondary treatment, needs a tertiary (polishing) step to meet the statutory limit. In the present study, a suitable bacterial-microalgal consortium (Culture C) was constructed using bacterial (Culture B: Bacillus sp. NITD 19) and microalgal (Culture A: a consortium of Chlorella sp. and Synechococcus sp.) cultures at different ratios (v/v) and the potential of these cultures for tertiary treatment of CW was assessed. Culture C4 (Culture B:Culture A = 1:4) with inoculum size: 10% (v/v) was selected for the treatment of wastewater since the maximum growth (3.08 ± 0.57 g/L) and maximum chlorophyll content (4.05 ± 0.66 mg/L) were achieved for such culture in PLE-enriched BG-11 medium. During treatment of real secondary treated coke-oven effluent using Culture C4 in a closed photobioreactor, the removal of phenol (80.32 ± 2.76%), ammonium ions (47.85 ± 1.83%), fluoride (65.0 ± 4.12%), and nitrate (39.45 ± 3.42%) was observed after 24 h. In a packed bed bioreactor containing immobilized C4 culture, the maximum removal was obtained at the lowest flow rate (20 mL/h) and highest column bed height (20 cm). Artificial intelligence-based techniques were used for modeling and optimization of the process.

Macromolecules assessment from spent biomass during phycoremediation of pollutants from coke-oven wastewater: A prospective approach for production of value added products

Three cyanobacterial and microalgal cultures such as consortium of Leptolyngbya sp. and Planktothrix sp. (Type I), Tetraspora sp. NITD 18 (Type II), and consortium of Chlorella sp. and Synechococcus sp. (type III) were chosen for the growth in both BG-11 and synthetic coke-oven wastewater (STCW). Maximum productivities of protein (75.63 (mg/L)/day, lipid (13.96 (mg/L)/day) were obtained in BG-11 medium for culture type II and that for carbohydrate (86.25 (mg/L)/day) was obtained with Type I. However, in STCW, maximum productivities were obtained as carbohydrate: 75.55 (mg/L)/day (Type III), protein: 57.67 (mg/L)/day (Type III), and lipid: 12.51 (mg/L)/day (Type I). Maximum yield was obtained as follows: carbohydrate - 146.47 mg/g and 122.26 mg/g (Type II), protein - 435.24 mg/g and 537.05 mg/g (Type II), and lipid - 111.45 mg/g and 217.47 mg/g (Type I) in BG-11 and STCW solutions, respectively. Artificial Neural Network-Genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) was used for modeling and optimization to get maximum outputs. The aim is selection of the suitable culture for the production of macromolecules under naïve and stressed environment.

Coke-oven wastewater treatment in a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell with thiocyanate-degrading biofilm enriched at the air cathode

Abstract Coke-oven wastewater is usually treated with the activated sludge process, which requires large amounts of electrical energy for aeration and sludge disposal. A more sustainable treatment is strongly required. Recently, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are focused as a technology for the production of electricity from wastewaters with simultaneous removal of organic matter. However, no MFC has been reported that can remove phenol, thiosulfate and thiocyanate simultaneously without aeration. Phenol can generally be removed well, whereas thiocyanate is relatively difficult to degrade. In this study, a dual-chamber MFC (D-MFC) was designed and equipped with a thiocyanate-degrading biofilm enriched on an air cathode. The D-MFC degraded phenol and thiosulfate in the anode chamber at the rate of 104 and 331 mg/L/day, respectively and subsequently degraded thiocyanate in the cathode chamber at the rate of 250 mg/L/day. The D-MFC showed high thiocyanate degradation rate. This suggests that pre-enrichment could accelerate thiocyanate degradation in MFC. In addition, thiocyanate degradation was not inhibited by phenol as thiocyanate was removed in the cathode chamber after phenol was removed in the anode chamber. This study demonstrated the feasibility of treating coke-oven wastewater by a D-MFC with a thiocyanate-degrading biofilm enriched at the air cathode.

Abatement of cyanide and ammoniacal-N from coke-oven wastewater using natural adsorbents: A comparative study

The present study aims at efficient abatement of pollutants from coke-oven wastewater using environment-friendly and low-cost adsorbents for a green world. The adsorbent used were native laterite soil (NLS), heat-treated laterite soil (HTLS), native shale (NS) and Heat-treated shale (HTS). One factor at a time (OFAT) approach was followed to determine the most effective condition based on the maximum removal. Heat-treated laterite soil and native shale were found most effective among their counterparts. Freundlich model was found best to analyze equilibrium data. The real coke-oven wastewater was collected and experiments were performed in batch mode. The percentage removal of cyanide (88.09% and 95.31%) and ammoniacal-N (87.28% and 92.12%) were found satisfactory when heat-treated laterite soil and native shale were used as adsorbents, respectively.

Concept of Flocks Fragmentation and Averaging Method for the Application of Electrocoagulation in Process for Coke Oven Wastewater Treatment.

The main objective of the article is to develop the concept of flock fragmentation and the averaging method for the application of electrocoagulation in the process of treating wastewater from coke ovens. The designed solution was part of an innovative system for the coke oven wastewater treatment process. The system is dedicated to removing the hazardous elements and compounds from wastewater from leaching ashes in municipal waste incineration plants. The design of the process and its automatization was based on a quantitative simulation method. The balance equations of mass, energy, and momentum of transport, complemented by the kinetics of the related reaction, are used during the calculation of the process. The main result achieved is a practical solution—the reactor’s scheme, classified due to a patent procedure in the Polish Patent Office.

Phycoremediation of pollutants from secondary treated coke-oven wastewater using poultry litter as nutrient source: a cost-effective polishing technique.

This article focuses on the phycoremediation of pollutants from secondary treated coke-oven effluent through a green and economical route. A microalgal sample was collected and identified as a consortium of Chlorella sp. and Synechococcus sp. The culture cost was reduced by using poultry litter extract as supplementary material to BG-11 medium. Since the major pollutants present in real secondary treated coke-oven wastewater are phenol, ammoniacal-N (NH4+) and cyanide, several matrices were designed with these three major pollutants by varying their initial concentrations such as phenol (2-10 mg/L), cyanide (0.3-1 mg/L) and NH4+ (100-200 mg/L), termed as simulated secondary treated coke-oven wastewater. Maximum removal was observed with individual solutions of phenol (4 mg/L), cyanide (0.6 mg/L) and NH4+ (175 mg/L), while maximum removal in simulated secondary treated coke-oven wastewater was observed at higher concentrations of phenol (8 mg/L) and cyanide (0.8 mg/L) and the same concentration of NH4+ (175 mg/L). A consortium was found effective to meet statutory limits of pollutants. Kinetic model was developed for predicting growth of consortium and observed that the poultry litter extract-enriched BG-11 medium showed higher values of maximum specific growth rate (0.56 per day) and carrying capacity (1,330 mg/L) than that in BG-11 medium only.

Complete Genome Sequence of Thiohalobacter sp. Strain COW1, Isolated from Activated Sludge Treating Coke Oven Wastewater.

A thiocyanate-degrading bacterium, Thiohalobacter sp. strain COW1, was isolated from activated sludge treating coke oven wastewater, and the complete genome sequence was determined. COW1 contained a single circular chromosome (3.23 Mb; G+C content, 63.4%) in which 2,788 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNA genes, and 3 rRNA genes were identified.

Biodegradation efficacy of coke oven wastewater inherent co-cultured novel sp. Alcaligenes faecalis JF339228 and Klebsiella oxytoca KF303807 on phenol and cyanide—kinetic and toxicity analysis

Coke oven sector emanates phenol and cyanide as the eminent virulent compounds due to abrupt industrialization which is detrimental in aqueous state, and its severity is increased on simultaneous coexistence even at low concentrations that eventually causes extensive damage to the peripheral ecosystem. The efficacy of isolated mixed bacterial culture comprising of Alcaligenes faecalis JF339228 and Klebsiella oxytoca KF303807 in wastewater treatment was investigated following a batch study. The impact of initial concentration of phenol (100–1500 mg L−1) and cyanide (10–150 mg L−1) on the growth and treatment by the mixed microbial cultures were evaluated over a time period of 72 h. The biodegradation mechanism was explained by Monod, Haldane, Aiba and Edward kinetic models. The maximum specific growth rate was reported to be 0.096 h−1 and 0.126 h−1 for phenol and cyanide respectively. The substrate inhibitory effect became eminent after a concentration of 450 mg L−1 for phenol and 45 mg L−1 for cyanide. Based on the lower sum of squared error (SSE) values, Haldane model for phenol and Edward model for cyanide was found to be favourable for substrate inhibition kinetics. The fate of the secondary intermediates produced after microbial degradation was assessed by phytotoxicity studies using Vigna radiata. The interactive binding of the pernicious pollutants and resultant biodegraded compounds with the DNA (herring sperm DNA) was examined following spectrofluorometric and spectrophotometric anatomization. Toxicity studies revealed that biological treatment was viable for eco benign disposal and results also depicted that both the strains have potential in remediation of phenol and cyanide from coke oven wastewater.

Dimensionally stable anode (Ti/RuO2) mediated electro-oxidation and multi-response optimization study for remediation of coke-oven wastewater

Electrochemical oxidation by means of dimensionally stable anodes (Ti/RuO2) was executed for the simultaneous elimination of various pollutants (such as COD, phenol, cyanide, and ammonia, etc.) from simulated and real coking-wastewater. A multiparameter variation study was also performed to investigate the operating range of certain operational parameters (such as pH, electrolyte, current density (CD), and H2O2 as a catalyst) and their effects on removal efficiencies of COD and rest of the pollutants of wastewater. To investigate the visual, morphological & elemental features of electrodes FE-SEM and EDX studies were performed before and after the treatment of wastewater. The electrochemical behavior was explored through cyclic voltammetry analysis. Moreover, the degradation and mineralization performance of organic material in wastewater was also investigated through LC-MS and total organic carbon (TOC) studies, respectively. A mathematical equation (model) was also developed to represent the multi-parameter optimization study using central composite design (CCD) through response surface methodology software (RSM tool). At the end of the process, the COD (90.13%), phenol (99.34%), cyanide (96.23%), and ammonia (94.43%) were eliminated within 180 min of reaction at optimum initial pH, NaCl (electrolyte), current density (CD), and H2O2 concentration of 8.0, 1.6 g/L, 24 mA/cm2 and 0.030 M, respectively.

Regeneration methods of the ultrafiltration membranes applied in coke oven wastewater treatment

Regeneration methods of the ultrafiltration membranes applied in coke oven wastewater treatment

Long-term effect of heavy metals Cr(III), Zn(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Pb(II) on the anammox process performance

The process of the anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) has been successfully used to remove nitrogen from reject water after dewatering of the digested sewage sludge. However, it is also used on other types of wastewater, including industrial wastewater, which may contain substances that inhibit this process. Examples of such substances include heavy metals which may be found in tanning wastewater, landfill leachate, or coke oven wastewater. The study presented shows the influence of two different mixtures of heavy metals on the anammox process in a long-term test. In SBR1, a mixture of nickel (Ni2+), copper (Cu2+), and zinc (Zn2+) was tested, while in SBR3 a mixture of chromium (Cr3+), cadmium (Cd2+), and lead (Pb2+) was checked, whereas the SBR2 reactor was a control reactor. The study demonstrated that even the highest levels of chromium, cadmium, and lead tested did not inhibit the process. However, in the case of the second metal mixture, strong inhibition of the nitrogen removal efficiency was observed. It was shown that zinc is the metal that was predominantly responsible for the inhibition, and its elimination from the incoming sewage allowed to restore the initial efficiency of the process.

Phycoremediation of pollutants from coke-oven wastewater using Tetraspora sp. NITD 18 and estimation of macromolecules from spent biomass

Coke-oven wastewater contains an array of hazardous pollutants like cyanide, phenol, ammoniacal-N, etc. The main objective of the present study is to assess the effectiveness of phycoremediation technique as tertiary treatment for simultaneous removal of three model pollutants such as phenol, ammoniacal-N, and cyanide from secondary treated coke-oven wastewater. A green route was employed for the treatment of coke-oven wastewater via the use of Tetraspora sp. NITD 18, collected from a contaminated site. Strain susceptibility was tested for the growth in the simulated solution of phenol (10−300 mg/L), ammoniacal-N (100−800 mg/L), and cyanide (1−10 mg/L), and subsequently, optimum concentration was assessed as 100 mg/L, 400 mg/L, and 2 mg/L, respectively. pH 7 and inoculum concentration 10 % was found suitable for the removal of phenol (79.02 ± 6.93 %), ammoniacal-N (74.7 ± 5.07 %), and cyanide (80.4 ± 0.015 %) from their individual solution at optimal initial concentrations after 14 days. For solutions of individual pollutants, preferred pollutants were examined on the basis of production of biomass with respect to time, and found the following order: ammoniacal-N > phenol > cyanide. The solution of mixed pollutants was prepared by mixing the said pollutants at their optimal level of initial concentrations at a suitable pH (7). Such a solution was termed as simulated coke-oven wastewater (SCOW). While the present investigation deals with co-current removal of pollutants from simulated coke-oven wastewater (SCOW) and real secondary treated coke-oven wastewater at laboratory scale, the continuous study on real wastewater at industrial scale with the isolated algal strain is the scope of the future work.

Simultaneous removal of nitrate and heavy metals in a continuous flow nitrate-dependent ferrous iron oxidation (NDFO) bioreactor

Nitrogen and heavy metals can co-occur in various industrial wastewaters such as coke-oven wastewater. Removal of these contaminants is important, but cost-efficient removal technology is limited. In this study, we examined the usefulness of nitrate-dependent ferrous iron oxidation (NDFO) for the simultaneous removal of nitrate and heavy metals (iron and zinc), by using an NDFO strain Pseudogulbenkiania sp. NH8B. Based on the batch culture assays, nitrate, Fe, and Zn were successfully removed from a basal medium as well as coke-oven wastewater containing 5 mM nitrate, 10 mM Fe(II), and 10 mg/L Zn. Zinc in the water was most likely co-precipitated with Fe(III) oxides produced during the NDFO reaction. Simultaneous removal of nitrate, Fe, and Zn was also achieved in a continuous-flow reactor fed with a basal medium containing 10 mM nitrate, 5 mM Fe(II), 4 mM acetate, and 10 mg/L Zn. However, when the reactor is fed with coke-oven wastewater supplemented with 10 mM nitrate, 5 mM Fe(II), 4 mM acetate, and 10 mg/L ZnCl2, the reactor performance significantly decreased, most likely due to the inhibition of bacterial growth by thiocyanate or organic contaminants present in the coke-oven wastewater. Use of mixed culture of NDFO bacteria and thiocyanate/organic-degrading denitrifiers should help improve the reactor performance.

A holistic Fenton oxidation-biodegradation system for treatment of phenol from coke oven wastewater: Optimization, toxicity analysis and phylogenetic analysis

In this study, the efficacy of a hybrid treatment approach by integrating Fenton’s oxidation with biological treatment for removal of phenol from synthetic coke oven wastewater was investigated. Central composite design using response surface methodology was applied to optimize the dose of FeSO4 and H2O2 with maximum phenol removal and minimum toxicity. Results indicate that 6.3 mM and 20 mM of FeSO4 and H2O2 respectively, were capable of 74 % degradation of 1000 mg/L phenol, 99.99 % of 100 mg/L of cyanide with 10 % residual toxicity, which was acceptable for the next biological treatment step. On the basis of biodegradation studies it was found that a mixed consortium of three isolated bacterial strains namely BSPS_CN, BSPS_PHE and BSPS_PHE2 were capable of 98.8 % degradation of 300 mg/L phenol, which was remaining after the Fenton treatment. BSPS_PHE2 was found to be the most efficient with 92.45 % phenol removal efficiency. Phylogenetic analysis of cultures indicated that isolates BSPS_PHE and BSPS_PHE2 were genetically most closely related to Pseudomonas species, whereas BSPS_CN was found to be closely related to Enterobacter sp. The 2-step sequential treatment was capable of achieving 99.3 % degradation of 1000 mg/L phenol and complete removal of cyanide (100 mg/L) from coke oven wastewater. Harmonization of Fenton’s oxidation with biodegradation makes the treatment method more economical and was found to be an efficient method for removal of recalcitrant compounds from coke oven wastewater.

Reduction of chemical oxygen demand in a conventional activated sludge system treating coke oven wastewater

The best available techniques reference document for iron and steel production sets a strict limit value for the treated effluent of coke oven wastewater treatment plants regarding Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). The objective was to find options to decrease residual COD, in order to safely meet the threshold for a specific plant. Membrane filtration experiments showed that the remaining COD can only be reduced by 6–27%, indicating that the majority of compounds are dissolved, not suspended. Inert COD measurements of the effluent showed that 82–96% of the residual COD is non-biodegradable. Of the approximately 30 different organic substances found in the influent, Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis detected, two-thirds were also present in the biologically treated wastewater. These results proved that the activated sludge treatment step is operating at its maximum achievable efficiency, thus further polishing steps had to be investigated to achieve the required COD. A combined physico-chemical post-treatment of the biologically treated effluent showed outstanding results and managed to decrease the COD to below 220 mg/l in all tested samples. This solution could be used universally in those coke oven wastewater treatment plants that are experiencing issues with levels of residual COD in their discharge.

Degradation of thiocyanate by electrochemical oxidation process in coke oven wastewater: Role of operative parameters and mechanistic study

This study presents the removal of thiocyanate (SCN−) from coke oven wastewater by the electrooxidation (EO) process. Initially, the performances boron-doped diamond (BDD) and different DSA (Dimensionally stable anode) electrodes including Ti/IrO2, Ti/IrO2−RuO2, and Ti/IrO2−RuO2−TiO2 in SCN− removal were compared. BDD anode outperformed the Ti−based mixed metal oxide (MMO) anodes achieving 96.51% SCN− removal efficiency. The most favorable conditions for the removal of SCN− using BDD anode were determined as follows: pH = 9, current density = 43.10 A m−2, and the electrolyte concentration (Na2SO4) = 2.5 g L−1. The strong role of ⦁OH in the removal of SCN− was confirmed by the addition of radical quenching agents. The evolution of the intermediates as a result of the EO of SCN− was determined. Under the determined conditions, the EO process could remove 84.13% of SCN− and 94.67% of phenol from a real coke oven wastewater, which was comparable to that of the simulated solution. The electrical energy consumption cost of the process to remove 1 kg of SCN− was calculated as 0.208 US $. Overall, the study showed the EO using BDD anode is a cost-effective method for the removal of SCN− from a coke oven wastewater.

Application of Cyanobacterial Consortium to Remove Ammoniacal-N, Phenol, and Nitrate from Synthetic Coke-Oven Wastewater as Tertiary Treatment

AbstractThis investigation focused on phycoremediation of pollutants from synthetic coke-oven wastewater using a cyanobacterial consortium of Leptolyngbya sp. and Planktothrix sp., and biomass prod...