Anaerobic treatment of a high-strength industrial waste bearing inhibitory concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloroethane

The effectiveness of an expanded-bed granular activated carbon anaerobic reactor in treating industrial wastewaters containing high concentrations of background organic matter and relatively high concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) was assessed. A synthetic wastewater containing 5900 mg litre per acetic acid, 3000 mg phenol per litre, and 20-430 mg TCA per litre was successfully treated. Removals of acetic acid and phenol were consistently higher than 93 and 99 per cent, respectively, and that of TCA consistently greater than 99.4 per cent. Though the adsorptive capacity of the carbon enhanced the efficiency of the treatment system, it was not essential for the successful operation of the reactor.