Methanogenic Toxicity Research Articles

Methane production potential and anaerobic treatability of wastewater and sludge from medium density fibreboard manufacturing

This research evaluates the suitability of anaerobic digestion of different waste streams derived from Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) manufacturing. Methane production potential and anaerobic treatability were firstly assessed in batch assays for raw wastewater, physical-chemical pre-treated wastewater, as well as for sludge generated by current wastewater treatment at an industrial facility. Single-feeding and multi-feeding (semi-continuous feeding) experiments were conducted to quantify methane production and methanogenic toxicity. Digestion of the raw wastewater produced 4.0 L CH4/L, which required dilution of the wastewater to 30–40% because severe toxicity was observed at 40% raw wastewater. Digestion of current process sludge produced 21.4 mL CH4/g raw sludge, but it also required dilution to avoid toxicity. Working with these substrates, the necessary dilution led to a maximum concentration of soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 4.2–4.6 g/L in the digestion medium, while the conversion of total COD to methane remained below 22%. Pre-treated wastewater in the current industrial process did not show inhibition, but gave a low methane production of only 0.8 L CH4/L. An alternative treatment scheme consisting of simple sedimentation of raw wastewater followed by pre-aeration showed enhanced methane production of 4–4.8 L CH4/L at higher concentrations of up to 80% wastewater in the assay medium. Sedimentation allowed increasing the soluble COD in the digestion medium up to 6.9 g/L, while the additional pre-aeration further increased the soluble COD to 12.9 g/L without inhibition of methane production. Conversion of total COD to methane during the exponential phase increased to 64%. Simple sedimentation also removed 82% of suspended solids, which would help prevent clogging and improve anaerobic treatability in continuous digesters.

Semi-empirical Approach on the Methanogenic Toxicity of Aromatic Compounds on the Biogas Production

In this work, a semi-empirical approach correlating the values of methanogenic toxicity of 22 aromatic compounds was used. TheIC50 exp, along with the various molecular properties of these compounds were determined using the DFT B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) method. While a conceptual approach of the FDT, was made in order to determine those, which are responsible of this methanogenic activity of the studied aromatic compounds. The Principal Component Analysis method was used in order to describe all the connections and information contained between these various variables (IC50exp.and molecular properties) of the aromatic compounds. TThe Hierarchical Cluster Analysis helped to classify the studied aromatic compounds in various classes defining the various types of methanogenic toxicity. The findings show that the electron withdrawing and lipophilic substituents made the aromatic ring more toxic than the electron donating and hydrophilic substituents.The aromatic compounds with -NO2 and –Cl groups formed the classes of the most toxic with the bactericidal action ofstudied aromatic compounds, with values of IC50exp ranging between 4.19 ± 0.01 and 67.20 ± 1.97 mg/L. The compounds with -OH and -NH2 groups formed the class of the least toxic of studied aromatic compounds with bacteriostatic action with values of IC50exp ranging between 966.27 ± 7.04 and 3151.49 ± 5.93 mg/L. The benzene (aromatic ring unsubstituted) taken as reference, formed its own class with a value of IC50exp of 208.78 ± 2.80 mg/L. It thus marks the line of demarcation between the classes of studied aromatic compounds with the electron withdrawing and/or lipophilic substituents (-NO2 and -Cl), more toxic with the bactericide action, and that of the aromatic compounds with electron donating and hydrophilic substituents (-OH and -NH2), less toxic with the bacteriostatic action.

Toxicity of Various Pyrolysis Liquids From Biosolids on Methane Production Yield

Abstract Aqueous pyrolysis liquid (APL) is a high-COD byproduct of wastewater biosolids pyrolysis that is comprised of numerous complex organic compounds and ammonia (NH3-N). One potential beneficial use of APL is as a co-digestate to produce more biogas in anaerobic digesters. However, some APL organics and ammonia are known to inhibit methane-producing microbes. Autocatalytic pyrolysis which uses previously-produced biochar as a catalyst during biosolids pyrolysis, increases energy-rich py-gas while eliminating bio-oil production and reducing COD concentration in the APL (catalyzed APL). However, the catalyzed APL still has a high organic strength and no suitable treatment strategies have yet been identified. In this study, the methane production yields and methanogenic toxicity of non-catalyzed and catalyzed APLs were investigated. Both non-catalyzed and catalyzed APLs were produced at 800°C from a mix of digested primary and raw waste activated sludge from a municipal water resource reclamation facility. Using the anaerobic toxicity assay, APL digester loading rates higher than 0.5 gCOD/L for non-catalyzed and 0.10 gCOD/L for catalyzed APL were not sustainable due to toxicity. The IC50 values (APL concentration that inhibited methane production rate by 50%) for non-catalyzed and catalyzed APLs were 2.3 and 0.3 gCOD/L, respectively. Despite having significantly fewer identified organic compounds, catalytic APL resulted in higher methanogenic toxicity than non-catalytic APL. NH3-N was not the main inhibitory constituent and other organics in APL, including 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 2,5-dimethoxybenzyl alcohol, benzene, cresol, ethylbenzene, phenols, styrene, and xylenes as well as nitrogenated organics (e.g., benzonitrile, pyridine) ostensibly caused considerable methane production inhibition. Future research focused on pretreatment methods to overcome APL toxicity and the use of acclimated biomass to increase methane production rates during APL anaerobic digestion or co-digestion is warranted.

Ecotoxicity assessment of ionic As(III), As(V), In(III) and Ga(III) species potentially released from novel III-V semiconductor materials

III-V materials such as indium arsenide (InAs) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) are increasingly used in electronic and photovoltaic devices. The extensive application of these materials may lead to release of III-V ionic species during semiconductor manufacturing or disposal of decommissioned devices into the environment. Although arsenic is recognized as an important contaminant due to its high toxicity, there is a lack of information about the toxic effects of indium and gallium ions. In this study, acute toxicity of As(III), As(V), In(III) and Ga(III) species was evaluated using two microbial assays testing for methanogenic activity and O2 uptake, as well as two bioassays targeting aquatic organisms, including the marine bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri (bioluminescence inhibition) and the crustacean Daphnia magna (mortality). The most noteworthy finding was that the toxicity is mostly impacted by the element tested. Secondarily, the toxicity of these species also depended on the bioassay target. In(III) and Ga(III) were not or only mildly toxic in the experiments. D. magna was the most sensitive organism for In(III) and Ga(III) with 50% lethal concentrations of 0.5 and 3.4mM, respectively. On the other hand, As(III) and As(V) caused clear inhibitory effects, particularly in the methanogenic toxicity bioassay. The 50% inhibitory concentrations of both arsenic species towards methanogens were about 0.02mM, which is lower than the regulated maximum allowable daily effluent discharge concentration (2.09mg/L or 0.03mM) for facilities manufacturing electronic components in the US. Overall, the results indicate that the ecotoxicity of In(III) and Ga(III) is much lower than that of the As species tested. This finding is important in filling the knowledge gap regarding the ecotoxicology of In and Ga.

Microbial toxicity and characterization of DNAN (bio)transformation product mixtures

2,4-Dinitroanisole (DNAN) is an emerging insensitive munitions compound. It undergoes rapid (bio)transformation in soils and anaerobic sludge. The primary transformation pathway catalyzed by a combination of biotic and abiotic factors is nitrogroup reduction followed by coupling of reactive intermediates to form azo-dimers. Additional pathways include N-acetylation and O-demethoxylation. Toxicity due to (bio)transformation products of DNAN has received little attention. In this study, the toxicity of DNAN (bio)transformation monomer products and azo-dimer and trimer surrogates to acetoclastic methanogens and the marine bioluminescent bacterium, Allivibrio fischeri, were evaluated. Methanogens were severely inhibited by 3-nitro-4-methoxyaniline (MENA), with a 50%-inhibiting concentration (IC50) of 25 μM, which is more toxic than DNAN with the same assay, but posed a lower toxicity to Allivibrio fischeri (IC50 = 219 μM). On the other hand, N-(5-amino-2-methoxyphenyl) acetamide (Ac-DAAN) was the least inhibitory test-compound for both microbial targets. Azo-dimer and trimer surrogates were very highly toxic to both microbial systems, with a toxicity similar or stronger than that of DNAN. A semi-quantitative LC-QTOF-MS method was employed to determine product mixture profiles at different stages of biotransformation, and compared with the microbial toxicity of the product-mixtures formed. Methanogenic toxicity increased due to putative reactive nitroso-intermediates as DNAN was reduced. However, the inhibition later attenuated as dimers became the predominant products in the mixtures. In contrast, A. fischeri tolerated the initial biotransformation products but were highly inhibited by the predominant azo-dimer products formed at longer incubation times, suggesting these ultimate products are more toxic than DNAN.

Iron sulfide attenuates the methanogenic toxicity of elemental copper and zinc oxide nanoparticles and their soluble metal ion analogs

Elemental copper (Cu0) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle (NP) toxicity to methanogens has been attributed to the release of soluble metal ions. Iron sulfide (FeS) partially controls the soluble concentration of heavy metals and their toxicity in aquatic environments. Heavy metals displace the Fe from FeS forming poorly soluble metal sulfides in the FeS matrix. Therefore, FeS may be expected to attenuate the NP toxicity. This work assessed FeS as an attenuator of the methanogenic toxicity of Cu0 and ZnO NPs and their soluble salt analogs. The toxicity attenuation capacity of fine (25–75μm) and coarse (500 to 1200μm) preparations of FeS (FeS-f and FeS-c respectively) was tested in the presence of highly inhibitory concentrations of CuCl2, ZnCl2 Cu0 and ZnO NPs. FeS-f attenuated methanogenic toxicity better than FeS-c. The results revealed that 2.5× less FeS-f than FeS-c was required to recover the methanogenic activity to 50% (activity normalized to uninhibited controls). The results also indicated that a molar FeS-f/Cu0 NP, FeS-f/ZnO NP, FeS-f/ZnCl2, and FeS-f/CuCl2 ratio of 2.14, 2.14, 4.28, and 8.56 respectively, was necessary to recover the methanogenic activity to >75%. Displacement experiments demonstrated that CuCl2 and ZnCl2 partially displaced Fe from FeS. As a whole, the results indicate that not all the sulfide in FeS was readily available to react with the soluble Cu and Zn ions which may explain the need for a large stoichiometric excess of FeS to highly attenuate Cu and Zn toxicity. Overall, this study provides evidence that FeS attenuates the toxicity caused by Cu0 and ZnO NPs and their soluble ion analogs to methanogens.

Electron Withdrawing Groups and Steric Effects on the Methanogenic Toxicity

Electron Withdrawing Groups and Steric Effects on the Methanogenic Toxicity

Methanogenic toxicity evaluation of chlortetracycline hydrochloride

Anaerobic digestion is a technology applied successfully to converting organic matter into biogas. However, the presence of inhibitory compounds such as antibiotics can adversely affect methane production. The aim of this study is to evaluate the toxic effect of chlortetracycline hydrochloride (CLOR) on the methanogenic bacteria. In order to study the methanogenic toxicity of CLOR, different concentrations of CLOR (10, 50, 100, 200 mg L− 1) were evaluated by methanogenic toxicity assays using three feedings. Maximum methane production was obtained for the assays with 10 mg CLOR L− 1, the values obtained were 277 ± 4.07; 193 ± 11.31 and 166 ± 7.07 mL for the first, second and third feedings, respectively. The average values for acetic, propionic and butyric acid at start of the experiments were 2104 ± 139; 632 ± 7.6; 544 ± 26 mg L− 1, respectively. The VFA values obtained finally of the experiment were dependent on the evaluated antibiotic concentrations, indicating that the efficiency of methanogenesis is directly affected by the CLOR concentration. CLOR is an effective methanogenic bacteria inhibitor. Moreover, the results show that CLOR has a bactericidal effect on methanogenic activity given that methane production did not recover during the third feeding. This study shows that the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for methanogenic bacteria in 10 mg L− 1.

Electronic Effects of Substituted Aromatic Ring on the Methanogenic Toxicity

Electronic Effects of Substituted Aromatic Ring on the Methanogenic Toxicity

Effect of Para Substituted Anilines Chemical Structure on Methane Biosynthesis by the Methanogens

Aims: The present paper aims to study the effect of aromatic structure on the inhibition of biogas production and more specifically the effect of para substituted anilines functional groups (chemical structure) on methane biosynthesis by the digested pig manure methanogens. The objective of this study was also to examine the structure-toxicity relationships of aromatic compounds to acetoclastic methanogens. Study Design: Anaerobic digestion of pig manure, anaerobic toxicity essay, The effects of functional group nature on inhibition of methane production by acetoclastic methanogens. Correlation of the methanogenic toxicity (IC50) with aromatic compounds hydrophobicity (logPoct). Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemistry, University of Kinshasa (DR Congo), between August 2011 and May 2012. Methodology: The toxicity to acetoclastic methanogenic bacteria was performed with the standard method of serum bottles, digested pig manure was utilized as inoculums, acetate Research Article International Journal of Biochemistry Research & Review, 3(4): 303-314, 2013 304 as substrate and the methane gas volume produced was measured by serum bottles liquid displacement systems (Mariotte flask system). Results: The obtained results indicate that relationships exist between para substituted anilines functional groups nature (chemical structure) and their inhibitory effects on methanogens. The toxicity of para bisubstituted anilines increases in the following order: SO3 < OH < H < CH3 < Cl < NO2 From this sequence of increasing toxicity, it can be seen that the methanogenic toxicity varies with the functional group nature which is in the para position of the main function. Indeed, p-Nitroaniline and benzene with 45.76 and 208.78 mg/l as IC50 values respectively were the most toxic compounds, while p-Aminophenol and p-Aminosulfonic acid (Sulfanilic acid) with 1800.39 and 2777.82 mg/l IC50 values were the less toxic. A very significant negative linear correlation between the toxicity of para substituted anilines compounds and their hydrophobicity was found. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that relationships exist between para substituted anilines functional groups nature and their inhibitory effects in methane biosynthesis by the methanogens.

Inhibitory Effects of Phenolic Monomers on Methanogenesis in Anaerobic Digestion

Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of phenolic monomers on methanogenesis in anaerobic digestion and to assess the effect of hydroxyl groups’ number of phenolic monomers (aromatic structure) on inhibition of methane production by acetoclastic methanogens (archaea). Study Design: Anaerobic digestion of pig manure, anaerobic toxicity essay, The effect of the hydroxyl group’s number on the methanogenic toxicity as exhibited by monomeric tannins, Correlation of the methanogenic toxicity (IC50) with aromatic compounds hydrophobicity (logPoct), Correlation of the methanogenic toxicity (IC50) with Cresols boiling point (bp). Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemistry, University of Kinshasa (DR Congo), between September 2011 and May 2012. Methodology: The toxicity to acetoclastic methanogenic bacteria was performed with the standard method of serum bottles; digested pig manure was utilized as inoculums and acetate as substrate. The methane gas volume produced was measured by serum bottles liquid displacement systems (Mariotte flask system). Results: The results of this study indicate that an increase in the number of hydroxyl groups on the aromatic compound was associated with a decrease in the compound’s Research Article British Microbiology Research Journal, 3(1): 32-41, 2013 33 toxicity to methanogens (archea). The toxicity of various phenolic monomers are decreasing in the following order: pyrogallol < hydroquinone < resorcinol < phenol < benzene with 3172, 2745, 1725, 1249 and 209 mg/l IC50 values respectively. A significant negative linear correlation between the toxicity of phenolic monomers together with the reference compound (benzene) and their hydrophobicity was found. Moreover, a high positive linear correlation has been found between the IC50 values of phenolic monomers and their boiling temperatures. Conclusion: The obtained results indicate that relationships exist between the phenolic monomers structure and their inhibitory effects in methane biosynthesis. The analysis of experimental results suggests that an increase in the number of hydroxyl groups on the aromatic compounds was associated with a decrease in the phenolic monomers toxicity.

The Effect of the Monosubstituted Benzenes Functional Groups on the Inhibition of Methane Gas Biosynthesis

Aromatic compounds are inhibitors of methane biosynthesis in anaerobic treatment of solid wastes and industrial effluents. Anaerobic treatment of solid wastes and industrial effluents may be limited by the methanogenic bacteria inhibition exerted by these types of compounds, the production of biogas is not possible and the organic matter contained in the effluent is not reduced. These effluents poured in the nature can be the basis of the pollution. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of monosubstituted aromatic compounds functional groups on the methanogenic inhibition. The toxicity to acetoclastic methanogenic bacteria has performed in serum flasks, utilizing digested pig manure as inoculums, by measuring methane production. The nature of aromatic functional groups was observed to have a profound effect on the toxicity of the monosubstituted aromatics. Among the monosubstituted aromatic, the chlorobenzene was the most toxic with 50% of inhibition occurring at the concentration of 30.08 mg/l. In contrast, benzoic acid is the least inhibitory with IC50 of 2515.20 mg/l. The partition coefficient octanol/water (logPoct), an indicator of hydrophobicity, had a significant correlation with the methanogenic toxicity.

Effect of free ammonia nitrogen on the methanogenic activity of swine wastewater

Swine wastewater is characterized by high organic matter content, solids, nitrogen (expressed as total ammonia and protein) and heavy metals. This work determines the methanogenic toxicity effect of free ammonia contained in swine wastewater comparing raw swine wastewater (RW) and the liquid fraction of swine wastewater (TW). The values of IC 50 (50% of inhibition) obtained for methanogenic bacteria ranged between 56 and 84% for RW, meanwhile IC 50 for TW was ranged between 84 and 94%. Such inhibitory effects can be related to the free ammonia nitrogen concentration (> 40 mg NH 3 -N/L) contained in swine wastewater.

Nitrate and nitrite inhibition of methanogenesis during denitrification in granular biofilms and digested domestic sludges

Anaerobic bioreactors that can support simultaneous microbial processes of denitrification and methanogenesis are of interest to nutrient nitrogen removal. However, an important concern is the potential toxicity of nitrate (NO(3) (-)) and nitrite (NO(2) (-)) to methanogenesis. The methanogenic toxicity of the NO (x) (-) compounds to anaerobic granular biofilms and municipal anaerobic digested sludge with two types of substrates, acetate and hydrogen, was studied. The inhibition was the severest when the NO (x) (-) compounds were still present in the media (exposure period). During this period, 95% or greater inhibition of methanogenesis was evident at the lowest concentrations of added NO(2) (-) tested (7.6-10.2 mg NO(2) (-)-N l(-1)) or 8.3-121 mg NO(3) (-)-N l(-1) of added NO(3) (-), depending on substrate and inoculum source. The inhibition imparted by NO(3) (-) was not due directly to NO(3) (-) itself, but instead due to reduced intermediates (e.g., NO(2) (-)) formed during the denitrification process. The toxicity of NO (x) (-) was found to be reversible after the exposure period. The recovery of activity was nearly complete at low added NO (x) (-) concentrations; whereas the recovery was only partial at high added NO (x) (-) concentrations. The recovery is attributed to the metabolism of the NO (x) (-) compounds. The assay substrate had a large impact on the rate of NO(2) (-) metabolism. Hydrogen reduced NO(2) (-) slowly such that NO(2) (-) accumulated more and as a result, the toxicity was greater compared to acetate as a substrate. The final methane yield was inversely proportional to the amount of NO (x) (-) compounds added indicating that they were the preferred electron acceptors compared to methanogenesis.

Methanogenic toxicity in anaerobic digesters treating municipal wastewater

In upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) digesters treating raw sewage at low temperatures, the sludge progressively lost methanogenic activity, indicating the possibility of methanogenic activity inhibition caused by wastewater constituents. To check this fact, batch and semi-continuous methanogenic toxicity assays were carried out with raw and centrifuged sewage. Permanent methanogenic toxicity on anaerobic sludge of approximately 50% was found when the sludge exposure to wastewater was renewed in a semi-continuous way. A stronger methanogenic inhibition of about 70–100% was observed when an active anaerobic sludge was exposed to mixed liquor from the UASB digester treating municipal wastewater. Suspended solids removal from sewage slightly reduced methanogenic toxicity. Effective concentration of municipal wastewater that caused a 50% reduction in methanogenic activity was estimated to be in the range of 150–200 mg COD l −1. As methanogenic inhibition appeared to be related to remaining COD, higher methanogenic toxicity in digesters operating with low conversion efficiency will be expected.

Anaerobic Biodegradation of Sterols Contained in Kraft Mill Effluents

Bleached kraft mill requires large quantities of water and chemicals reactives and generates effluents containing active organic compounds. Specifically, hormonal changes in fish and their communities have been demonstrated, which could be attributed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) contained in kraft mill effluents. This chronic toxicity is attributable to extractive compounds, such as resin acids, sterols, and fatty acids. The goal of this work is to evaluate the methanogenic toxicity and anaerobic biodegradation of stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol. A continuously anaerobic filter (AF) was used for the anaerobic biodegradation of stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol. Three phases were evaluated. In phase I, an elementary chlorine-free bleached kraft mill effluent was fed to the reactor whereas in phases II and III, the effluent was supplemented with increasing stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol concentrations. The AF displays high performance in biological oxygen demand (BOD5) removal (up to 94%); however, only 50% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was removed. Simultaneously, the AF system shows a great ability to remove beta-sitosterols (77-100%) and stigmasterols (87-95%). No negative effect on the methanogenic activity inhibition was shown by beta-sitoesterols and stigmasterol. However, a mixture of beta-sitosterols and stigmasterols (ratio 1:1) caused a less than 10% reduction in methanogenic activity.

Anaerobic biodegradability and toxicity of eucalyptus fiber board manufacturing wastewater

Wastewater from eucalyptus fiber board manufacturing (EFBM) was characterized and studied for its treatability by anaerobic digestion. The characteristics of the wastewater (in mg dm−3), are as follows: COD (42 000), SS (550), SO (1200), PO.P (50), NH.N (15), VFA (710), phenol (20), p-cresol (125), tannin COD (1460) and pH 2.8. Approximately 60% of the COD is composed of carbohydrates. The continuous treatment of EFBM wastewater resulted in 93% COD removal and 78% COD methanogenized, with influent COD values of 20 g dm−3 and OLR of 17 kg COD m−3 d−1. The biodegradation reached 94% of influent COD and 74% of influent ultraviolet absorbance (215 nm). EFBM wastewater supplied at 20 g COD dm−3 (1:1 tap water diluted) caused 50% methanogenic toxicity, which did not disappear when tannins were removed by adsorption on PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone). The toxicity decreased to 25% once the wastewater was autoxidized with air at high pH values. However, the effluent of the continuously fed column didn't show methanogenic toxicity, therefore the main toxic compounds in the wastewater were removed during anaerobic treatment.

Automated equipment for anaerobic sludge parameters determination

Methanogenic activity, anaerobic biodegradability and toxicity are key parameters in the design and operation of anaerobic bioreactors. A large variety of methods exist for the determination of these parameters but a normalized method has not been established so far. This paper presents the development of an automated manometric system for the determination of these anaerobic sludge parameters. The system is based on monitoring the production of methane by using a pressure transducer that measures the pressure in a gas-collecting chamber of known adjustable volume, which is independent of the space where biogas production takes place. The evolution of pressure generated by the accumulation of methane relates to the conversion of COD. In this way, the methanogenic activity of the sludge can be determined, as well as the biodegradability of solids and liquid, as well as the methanogenic toxicity of compounds. The equipment permits gas sampling, as well as extraction and introduction of liquid, without losing the anaerobic conditions. Various assays have been conducted to test the reliability and reproducibility of the obtained results, showing a high level of both. The methanogenic activities obtained in the assays ranged between 0.1 and 1.8 g COD g(-1) VSS d(-1), and the biodegradability of the organic compounds tested ranged between 20 and 90%.

Methanogenic toxicity and continuous anaerobic treatment of wood processing effluents

Wood processing effluents contain different types of phenolic compounds, from simple monomers to high molecular weight (MW) polyphenolic polymers, that can inhibit wastewater treatment. This work presents a comparative study of the methanogenic toxicity produced by three wood processing effluents (hardboard, fiberboard and BKME (kraft mill effluent)) using Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus and Tepa as feedstock (the last one being a native Chilean tree species). This study evaluates the influence of non-adapted granular and adapted flocculent sludge on forest industrial wastewater treatment as well as continuous anaerobic biodegradation of hardboard processing effluent using the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB). The adapted biomass (flocculent sludge) did not show any lag-phase signs. The 50% IC (the concentration causing 50% inhibition of methanogenic activity) was 4.3 g COD-effluent (chemical oxygen demand (COD)-of the effluent)/l and 2.8 g COD-effluent/l for the flocculent sludge and the granular sludge, respectively. The UASB system worked at low organic load rates (0.1–0.4 g COD/l d) with the COD removal ranging between 10 and 30%, and color removal did not occur under anaerobic conditions due to high MW. Indeed, the MW analysis indicates the presence of phenolic compounds over 25,000 Da in the anaerobic effluent.

Anaerobic biodegradability and methanogenic toxicity of key constituents in copper chemical mechanical planarization effluents of the semiconductor industry

Copper chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) effluents can account for 30–40% of the water discharge in semiconductor manufacturing. CMP effluents contain high concentrations of soluble copper and a complex mixture of organic constituents. The aim of this study is to perform a preliminary assessment of the treatability of CMP effluents in anaerobic sulfidogenic bioreactors inoculated with anaerobic granular sludge by testing individual compounds expected in the CMP effluents. Of all the compounds tested (copper (II), benzotriazoles, polyethylene glycol ( M n 300), polyethylene glycol ( M n 860) monooleate, perfluoro-1-octane sulfonate, citric acid, oxalic acid and isopropanol) only copper was found to be inhibitory to methanogenic activity at the concentrations tested. Most of the organic compounds tested were biodegradable with the exception of perfluoro-1-octane sulfonate and benzotriazoles under sulfate reducing conditions and with the exception of the same compounds as well as Triton X-100 under methanogenic conditions. The susceptibility of key components in CMP effluents to anaerobic biodegradation combined with their low microbial inhibition suggest that CMP effluents should be amenable to biological treatment in sulfate reducing bioreactors.