Global Journal of Biology, Agriculture & Health Sciences

Abstract

Biological Atrazine Removal from Low-Strength Wastewater by Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor and Upflow Fixed Bed Bioreactor: Performance and Kinetic Analysis

Sara Kamanmalek*, Ali Dabestani Rahmatabad and Seyed Mehdi Borghei

Atrazine is a commonly used herbicide that can pose risks to the environment and human health. Despite the effectiveness of bioreactors in treating organic compounds, their performance in removing atrazine from lowstrength wastewater is not yet fully understood. This study investigates the effectiveness of Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) and upflow Fixed Bed Bioreactor (FBBR) in removing atrazine from low-strength wastewater. To evaluate the impacts of environmental conditions on atrazine biodegradability, experiments were conducted at different atrazine concentrations, hydraulic retention times, and nutrient ratios (COD:N:P). All experiments were conducted at COD of 200 mg/L to evaluate bioreactor effectiveness in removing atrazine from low-strength wastewater. Additionally, we evaluated the kinetics of atrazine removal by applying the modified Stover-Kincannon model. The results suggest that both FBBR and MBBR are effective in removing atrazine and COD, with FBBR showing higher removal efficiency. The average and maximum atrazine removal efficiency was 41.8% and 75.2% in MBBR, and 48.3% and 81.6% in FBBR, respectively. Higher nitrogen levels decreased atrazine removal, while higher HRTs and initial atrazine concentrations improved removal efficiency in both bioreactors. The constant values of modified Stover-Kincannon model for KB and U_max were calculated as 4.15 and 1.49 in MBBR, and 5.73 and 2.30 in FBBR. This study contributes to the development of efficient and cost-effective strategies for wastewater treatment, highlighting the potential of bioreactors as a sustainable technology for atrazine removal from low-strength wastewater.

Published Date: 2024-08-23; Received Date: 2024-07-23