Petrochemical effluent biodegradation

In contrast to the refinery process effluent A, the petrochemical effluent B was much higher in COD, carbon and ammonium (Table 10.4). Biodegradation of the undiluted effluent began immediately and continued at a rate of around 3.5-4.0mgO2/l/h over the 14 day incubation period, with O2 uptake failing to reach a plateau (Figure 10.5). 

Figure 10.5 Petrochemical effluent B biodegradation and ecotoxicity over 14 days.

The results of this study demonstrated that there are a number of advantages in using combined toxicity and biodegradation assessments to improve the hazard and risk assessment of refinery/petrochemical effluents. The results indicated that... 

Figure 16. Comparison between biodegradation and photodegradation tests for petrochemical effluents [26],...

Anaerobic biodegradation of phenols is possible and is now the subject of development studies. They do not seem applicable to refining and petrochemical plant effluents because concentrations are too low. 

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