Removing diethylene glycol from industrial wastewater
in a multi-section bioreactor

Summary

Wastewater containing diethylene glycol is currently incinerated or simply discharged into special storage facilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the overall unevenness and dynamics of diethylene glycol transformation by an established community of microorganisms-decomposers. The ethylene glycol transformation process was modeled in a custom-built setup – an 18-sectional, one-through bioreactor. An analysis of the obtained results showed that diethylene glycol destruction occurred in the first two sections, and the diethylene glycol concentration at the outlet did not exceed 0.15 g/dm³. These studies suggest that several groups of microorganisms are involved in glycol utilization.

Key words

microorganisms , bacteria , biomass , diethylene glycol , biomass , suspension transformation dynamics , decomposers