Biodegradation of Cyclohexanone and Cyclohexanol by the Activated Sludge Process

Abstract

Biodegradability study of cyclohexanone (anone) and cyclohexanol (anol), two major organic pollutants present in the wastewater from any caprolactam manufacturing unit which follow a Raschig process, is carried out with an artificial effluent using an acclimated activated sludge in a laboratory scale batch bioreactor. By gaschromatographic (GC) monitoring it is found that the utilization of anone and anol are sequential and not simultaneous. Anol is utilized only after anone gets exhausted by about 90 per cent. When the

experiment is repeated with anol as a mono substrate it is utilized instantaneously without any lag period. The effect of sustrate loading and Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) on sequential degradation has also been reported. It is concluded that anone is preferentially consumed from a binary mixture of anone and anol by the mixed population of microorganisms in an activated sludge under the experimental conditions.