The influence of sulphate on the treatment of azo dye‐containing wastewater in an anaerobic‐microaerobic compartmentalized fixed‐bed bioreactor

A fixed bed reactor (FBR) comprised of an anaerobic zone (AZ) coupled to a micro‐aerated zone (MAZ) was used for the biological treatment of synthetic textile wastewater. The azo dye in the textile effluent is expected to be reduced to aromatic amines (decolouration) in AZ followed by biological degradation of the aromatic amines due to oxygen exposure in MAZ. We focused on assessing the effect of sulphate, a common component of textile wastewaters, on the degradation of the tetra‐azo dye Direct Black 22 (DB22). The influence of sulphide, a product of sulphate biological reduction, on the removal of aromatic amines, toxic by‐products of DB22 degradation, was also analyzed. The AZ and the MAZ were filled with expanded clay balls and polyurethane foam, respectively. The chemical oxygen demand and sulphate ratio (COD/SO4−2) in the feed started at 4.8 ± 0.2 and was later changed to 0.8 ± 0.1 by increasing the sulphate content. This change consequently increased DB22 removal efficiency from 38 ± 11% to 72 ± 6% in AZ and from 56 ± 7% to 75 ± 7% at MAZ, but also resulted in high sulphide concentration and reduced redox potential (ORP) at the MAZ inlet. However, the change negatively affected the degradation of aromatic amines in the MAZ. Aromatic amines were removed only at redox potential values higher than −228 mV and biogenic sulphide concentrations lower than 44 mg HS−/L. Scheme of biochemical processes in the anaerobic and microaerobic compartments of a fixed bed bioreactor during textile wastewater treatment.