[Study on the treatment of aromatic hydrocarbon containing wastewater by an anaerobic filter reactor under...

With benzene, naphthalene and biphenyl as the model aromatic hydrocarbon, the treatment of aromatic hydrocarbon containing wastewater by an anaerobic filter (AF) reactor operated in continuous mode and under denitrifying condition were conducted. With glucose as the supplemented carbon, the influence of C/N ratio on the degradation of organic compounds was also investigated. Results showed that the AF reactor could degrade these aromatic hydrocarbons effectively under above mentioned conditions. When the influent COD concentration was 1 000 mg/L, and benzene, naphthalene and biphenyl concentration was 60 mg/L, the removal efficiency for COD and aromatic hydrocarbons was 90% and 84%, respectively. Benzene was more easily degraded than naphthalene and biphenyl under denitrifying condition. When C/N was in the range 5 - 30, benzene removal percentage was always at about 90% , and C/N ratio did not have obvious effect on the degradation of benzene. The degradation of naphthalene and biphenyl and total COD was greatly influenced by C/N. When C/N was 15, the highest removal percentage was achieved and it was 90%, 78% and 82% for COD, naphthalene and biphenyl, respectively.