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Title: Removal of organic constituents in a coal gasification process wastewater by activated sludge treatment

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5809137· OSTI ID:5809137

The wastewater sample was obtained from a pilot-scale HYGAS run. Wastewater was pretreated to reduce ammonia and alkalinity and was then processed in an activated sludge reactor at a hydraulic residence time of two days with a bacterial mean cell residence time of 15 days and a COD removal rate of 0.86 per day. Analysis indicates that activated sludge treatment removed the bulk of the extractable and chromatographable organic constituents. The influent acidic fraction, composed mainly of phenol and alkylated phenols, constituted 98.5% of the total organics identified; these were removed almost completely. Organics of the basic fraction, composed mainly of alkylated pyridines and anilines, were removed effectively, with the exception of certain alkylated pyridines. In the case of the organics in the neutral fraction, which constituted less than 0.75% of the total organics in the influent, certain heterocyclics and compounds containing heteroatoms were removed effectively. For aromatic hydrocarbons, the more aliphatic the substitution or alicyclic the content, the less the removal. Alicyclic hydrocarbons and alkylated benzenes generally were removed poorly or very poorly. 9 figures, 7 tables.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
W-31-109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
5809137
Report Number(s):
ANL/WR-79-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English