Oxygenic bacteria

The organics contaminants, whose concentration is usually expressed in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), are utilized as food for the bacteria. Besides oxygen, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are also needed by the bacteria for its metabolism. The concentrations of oxygen, bacteria, organic contaminants, and nutrients, as well as other factors, have an affect on the biological treatment rate. 

Oxygen levels. Reactions can be carried out under aerobic conditions in which free oxygen is required or under anaerobic conditions in the absence of free oxygen. Bacteria can operate under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Yeasts, moulds and algae prefer aerobic conditions but can grow with reduced oxygen levels. 

Figure 5. The double-spiral longitudinal vortex. A longitudinal vortex showing the development of toroidal countervortices. These occur on interaction with the pipe walls and have an effect similar to ball bearings, enhancing the forward movement. Their interior rotation follows the direction of rotation and forward motion of the central vortex, whereas the direction of their exterior rotation and translatory motion are reversed. These toroidal vortices act to transfer oxygen, bacteria, and other impurities to the periphery of the pipe, where, because of the accumulation of excessive oxygen, the inferior, pathogenic bacteria are destroyed and the water rendered bacteria-free.

Nearly all organisms require oxygen—bacteria, plants, and animals. Humans, for example, can go weeks without food. They can survive for many days without water. But they cannot survive more than a few minutes without oxygen. 

Another important example of redox titrimetry that finds applications in both public health and environmental analyses is the determination of dissolved oxygen. In natural waters the level of dissolved O2 is important for two reasons it is the most readily available oxidant for the biological oxidation of inorganic and organic pollutants and it is necessary for the support of aquatic life. In wastewater treatment plants, the control of dissolved O2 is essential for the aerobic oxidation of waste materials. If the level of dissolved O2 falls below a critical value, aerobic bacteria are replaced by anaerobic bacteria, and the oxidation of organic waste produces undesirable gases such as CH4 and H2S. 

A commercial technology (69), the SABRE process, treats contaminated water and soil ia a two-stage process by adding a readily degradable carbon and an inoculum of anaerobic bacteria able to degrade the contaminant. An initial aerobic fermentation removes oxygen so that the subsequent reduction of the contaminant is not accompanied by oxidative polymerization. 

Wastes contaminated with aniline may be Hsted as RCRA Hazardous Waste, and if disposal is necessary, the waste disposal methods used must comply with U.S. federal, state, and local water poUution regulations. The aniline content of wastes containing high concentrations of aniline can be recovered by conventional distillation. Biological disposal of dilute aqueous aniline waste streams is feasible if the bacteria are acclimated to aniline. Aniline has a 5-day BOD of 1.89 g of oxygen per gram of aniline. 

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