Anoxic oxic biodegradation of aminobenzene

Biodegradation of aminobenzene, which is used as the only source of carbon and nitrogen, is evaluated in a single fluidized bed reactor operated in a temporal, anoxic/oxic made. The experimental evidence indicates that total organic carbon (TOC) is removed with >91% efficiency at a feed concentratio n of 100mg/L and a dilution rare of 2.4 day(-1). Moreover, about 53-63% of feed total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) is also removed, confirming that effecti ve removal of nitrogenous matter in aminobenzene (i.e., the -NH2 group) is achievable in a temporal, anoxic/oxic environment. The kinetic analysis sho ws that TOC removal in oxic cycles is rapid and substantial, which enables nitrification to proceed at a discernible rate. In addition, the data on TO C and NO3--N removal in anoxic cycles reveal that carbonaceous matter in am inobenzene and/or its intermediate metabolites is effectively utilized for denitrification. The best treatment performance, in terms of carbon and nit rogen removal and potential savings in aeration costs, is obtained by coupl ing a 6 h oxic cycle with a 6 h anoxic cycle. All reaction rates estimated in anoxic/oxic experiments remain relatively constant over the range of con ditions tested.