TREATMENT OF PHENOLIC WASTE BY UASB PROCESS

Abstract

Phenolic wastes are produced by coking plants, oil refineries, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, solvents, coal gasification, explosive industries, fiber glass manufacturing and aircraft maintenance etc. The effluent from these industries contain phenol in the range of 10 mg/1 to 10,000 mg/l. Waste-water containing phenol can be treated by chemical, physiochemical, aerobic and anaerobic biological processes. High rate anaerobic processes such as anaerobic filter, anaerobic fludized bed, anaerobic rotating biological contactor and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket ( UASB), offer promise to ; andle va:city of wastewater from different industries. The treatment of phenol containing waste by anaerobic activated carbon filter has been reported. There is a need to explore the possibility of treating such a wastewater by other anaerobic high rate treatment techniques. Keeping this in view, a laboratory study has been undertaken to evaluate BMP of a synthetic wastewater containing different concentration of phenol under :-tandard4conditions. The feasibility of treating phenol bearing synthetic waste has also been studied in laboratory scale UASB. The experiments have been conducted at 30+ 1oC, in two identical reactors of 11.4 lit. capacity. The process has been monitored by gas and methane produced, reduction in COD and cell growth.