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Anaerobic treatment of sulphate-rich wastewaters

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Abstract

Until recently, biological treatment of sulphate-rich wastewater was rather unpopular because of the production of H2S under anaerobic conditions. Gaseous and dissolved sulphides cause physical-chemical (corrosion, odour, increased effluent chemical oxygen demand) or biological (toxicity) constraints, which may lead to process failure. Anaerobic treatment of sulphate-rich wastewater can nevertheless be applied successfully provided a proper treatment strategy is selected. The strategies currently available are discussed in relation to the aim of the treatment: i) removal of organic matter, ii) removal of sulphate or iii) removal of both. Also a whole spectrum of new biotechnological applications (removal of organic chemical oxygen demand, sulphur, nitrogen and heavy metals), recently developed based on a better insight in sulphur transformations, are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sub-department of Environmental Technology, The Netherland

    Look W. Hulshoff Pol, Piet N.L. Lens & Gatze Lettinga

  2. Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen Agricultural University, P.O. Box 8129, 6700, EV Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Alfons J.M. Stams

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  1. Look W. Hulshoff Pol
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  2. Piet N.L. Lens
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  3. Alfons J.M. Stams
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  4. Gatze Lettinga
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Hulshoff Pol, L.W., Lens, P.N., Stams, A.J. et al. Anaerobic treatment of sulphate-rich wastewaters. Biodegradation 9, 213–224 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008307929134

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