Aerobic sludge granulation and enhanced dicamba removal efficiency in the presence of AQS redox mediator in a lab-scale anaerobic-aerobic treatment method

Abstract

The biodegrading of dicamba was conducted using the anaerobic-aerobic technique for influent concentrations 60-100 mg/L over 187 days of operation. The reactors were stabilized using starch and acclimated to 40 mg/L of dicamba. Dicamba and starch was fed to the anaerobic reactor. Effluent was collected after a hydraulic retention time of 24 h and analyzed in gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry to detect the biotransformation products. High concentration of benzoates, esters, and fatty acid groups were detected in the anaerobic reactor. Effluent of anaerobic reactor contained high chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration 400-750 mg/L, which was then fed to the aerobic reactor. After aerobic posttreatment, the overall dicamba and COD removal obtained were >85 and 92% respectively. The aerobic reactor developed a thick granular biomass of up to 7 mm in size, which indicates the bacterial adaptation and hence attainment of stable reactor performance. © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.