Anaerobic-aerobic treatment of high-strength and recalcitrant textile dyeing effluents

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2023-07, Vol.379, p.129060-129060, Article 129060
• Main Authors: Yao, Hai-Yong, Guo, Hui, Shen, Feng, Li, Ting, Show, De-Yang, Ling, Ming, Yan, Yue-Gen, Show, Kuan-Yeow, Lee, Duu-Jong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anaerobiosis; Bioreactors; COD removal; Coloring Agents; Granulation; Integrated anaerobic–aerobic; Recalcitrant; Sewage; Textile dyeing wastewater; Textile Industry; Textiles; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129060

•A novel process treated high-strength, recalcitrant textile dyeing wastewater.•Anaerobic granular sludge process removed 97% COD of the wastewater.•Integrated anaerobic–aerobic process removed 99% COD from a feed of 20,862 mg COD/L.•Anaerobic process has high feed loading, small footprint and little sludge production.•Anaerobic granular process possesses better stability than anaerobic counterparts. Eco-friendly treatment of complex textile and dyeing wastewaters poses a pressing environmental concern. An approach adopting different treatment paths and integrated anaerobic–aerobic processes for high-strength and recalcitrant textile dyeing wastewater was examined. The study demonstrated that over 97% of suspended solids (SS) and more than 70% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) were removed by polyaluminum chloride pre-coagulation of suede fabric dyeing stream. Up to 58% of COD and 83% of SS were removed through hydrolysis pretreatment of other low-strength streams. Notable COD removal of up to 99% from a feed of 20,862 mg COD/L was achieved by integrated anaerobic–aerobic treatment of high strength stream. Besides achieving high COD removal of 97%, the anaerobic granular sludge process demonstrated multi-faceted attributes, including high feed loading, smaller footprint, little sludge production, and good stability. The integrated anaerobic–aerobic treatment offers a robust and viable option for highly contaminated and recalcitrant textile dyeing wastewater.