Wastes, anaerobic degradation complex

Figure 9. General pathways of anaerobic degradation of complex wastes...

The environmental degradation of lubricating oils is less easily demonstrated. One of the problems is the complex and varied nature of the used material. Materials other than hydrocarbons can inhibit or influence the rate of degradation, which is of greatest interest. Once released into the environment, there is a finite time before the waste lubricant is bound up in sediments or soils. Once there, due to the hydrophobic nature of the material, water is excluded and conditions are essentially anoxic. Anaerobic degradation of oils does not readily occur in nature - much to the relief of the oil exploration and refining industry. However, waste lubricant on the road or in soil or sediments is not locked in place in the same way as crude oil in rock formations. Heavy rain can wash surfaces, churn up river beds and release sediments, whilst the action of animals and plant can oxygenate soils. One means of... 

Table VII. Prediction of Effluent Degradable COD for Treatment of Complex Waste in Conventional Anaerobic Digesters at 3 S C...

Talking about biodegradation of plastics in a liquid environment usually means the natural degradation in sweet water (lakes, rivers), in a marine environment or in aerobic and anaerobic sludges (waste water treatment). However, many degradation studies with plastics in laboratories were performed in defined synthetic or in complex liquid nutrient broths and this also can be regarded as a degradation in a liquid environment. While from... 

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