Optimizing Anaerobic Biological Treatment of Industrial Acidic Wastewater Using Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria

Abstract

This study focused on the anaerobic biological treatment of acidic wastewater from polymer plants utilizing sulfuric acid, specifically  employing sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Quantitative analyses were conducted to evaluate the effects of key parameters, including temperature, pH, and pollutant concentration. A series of twelve experiments was performed at two temperature levels (25°C and 60°C), two pH levels (7.5 and 8.5), and three sulfate ion concentrations (50, 200, and 450 mg/L SO₄²⁻). Results demonstrated that increasing the temperature from 25 °C to 60 °C at an initial sulfate concentration of 50 mg/L and pH 7.5 improved treatment efficiency  by 17.6%. Overall treatment efficiencies varied between 45.3% and 49.9% across different concentrations. Additionally, raising the pH from 7.5 to 8.5 at both temperatures resulted in an approximate 16.4% increase in treatment performance. The data also revealed a linear correlation  between temperature and sulfate ion concentration and a second order correlation between pH and sulfate ion concentration. These  findings underscore the significant influence of temperature and pH on the anaerobic biological treatment of sulfate ions in industrial wastewater, highlighting the necessity of controlling these parameters to optimize purification outcomes.