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Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor
Published on: October 15, 2015
Anaerobic methanethiol degradation in upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactors at high salinity (> or =0.5 M Na(+))
Robin C van Leerdam1, Frank A M de Bok, Piet N L Lens
1Sub-Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University, Bomenweg 2, P.O. Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands. Robin.vanLeerdam@wur.nl
Abstract:
The feasibility of anaerobic methanethiol (MT) degradation at elevated sodium concentrations was investigated in a mesophilic (30 degrees C) lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor, inoculated with estuarine sediment originating from the Wadden Sea (The Netherlands). MT was almost completely degraded (>95%) to sulfide, methane and carbon dioxide at volumetric loading rates up to 37 mmol MT x L(-1) x day(-1), 0.5 M sodium (NaCl or NaHCO(3)) and between pH 7.3 and 8.4. Batch experiments revealed that inhibition of MT degradation started at sodium (both NaCl and NaHCO(3)) concentrations exceeding 0.8 M. Sulfide inhibited MT degradation already around 3 mM (pH 8.3).
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