Combined Photochemical and Biological Processes for the Treatment of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate in Water

In this study, the effects of photochemical pre-treatment (pilot-plant UV/H₂O₂ process) of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) on its subsequent biological treatment were examined. It was observed that the photochemical pre-treatment of the LAS solution did not increase its biodegradability. Moreover, the effects of acclimated microorganisms on the biodegradability of the LAS solution were also studied. It was observed that the acclimated activated sludge increased the biodegradation of the LAS solution. However, due to the presence of some intermediates in the effluent of the photoreactor, the biodegradability of this effluent was less than the biodegradability of the untreated LAS solution with the same concentration of the LAS in the effluent of the photoreactor.

Key Words:

• Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS)
• Pilot-plant photoreactor
• Biodegradability
• Sequential batch reactor
• Photochemical degradation
• Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The support of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is greatly appreciated. Also, the authors would like to acknowledge the partial financial support of Ryerson University for Gelareh Bankian Tabrizi to accomplish this work.