Treatment of polyvinyl alcohol containing wastewater in two stage spiral symmetrical stream anaerobic bioreactors coupled a sequencing batch reactor

This work aimed to study the treatment of polyvinyl alcohol containing wastewater (PVA-containing wastewater) discharged from textile industry. The batch experiment verified the feasibility of anaerobic treatment and determined that the optimal substrate COD was around 3000 mg/L. The single spiral symmetrical stream anaerobic bioreactor (SSSAB) was used for treating PVA-containing wastewater, which shows the stability of SSSAB and the improvement of biodegradability of wastewater. Finally, two stage SSSABs coupled SBR was proposed. By this scheme, under the influent COD of 3014 mg/L and PVA of 413 mg/L, the COD and PVA removal reached 89.4% and 90.7%, respectively, which were higher than the values obtained by other schemes. Contribution rates of reactors show that each reactor plays an essential role, and SEM images show the unique of microbial flora in each SSSAB. The SSSAB-SSSAB-SBR process can provide an alternative to the chemical methods for treating PVA-containing wastewater.

Automated summary

This study focused on the treatment of PVA-containing wastewater discharged from the textile industry. The feasibility of anaerobic treatment was verified through batch experiments, and a two stage SSSABs coupled SBR scheme was proposed, which showed higher removal rates compared to other schemes. Each reactor in the process was found to play an important role, and SEM images revealed the unique microbial flora in each SSSAB. The SSSAB-SSSAB-SBR process offers an alternative to chemical methods for treating PVA-containing wastewater.