'ENHANCEMENT OF BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE-WATER USING BIOAUGMENTATION TECHNOLOGY'

This chapter highlights the applications of specific bacteria developed for the treatment of wastewater containing aromatic and aliphatic organic compounds from petrochemical and bulk drug industries and their successful implementation at plant scale level. Both sources contained organics difficult to degrade. Strains of Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, bacillus and Nocardia degrading phenol, amines, caprolactum and styrene were isolated from soil and sludge. The COD and BOD reductions under the optimum nutritional and physiological conditions were in 70-90% range. The nutrient balance maintained in wastewater were in ratio of COD: N: P as 100:10:1 and pH 7-8. Mixed biomass of these strains showed >95% reduction in COD of effluents containing plastic polymer, phenolics, Nylon-6 and aliphatic amines. The developed biomass of mixed strains added to the bioreactor increased COD and BOD reduction gradually and stabilised at 90-95%. The treated effluent after sand and carbon filtration was suitable for reuse in cooling towers.