Purification of wastewaters containing azo dyes

This study describes the degradability of the azo dye C.I. Reactive Violet 5 by a continuous flow biological treatment system consisting of three rotating disc reactors. The azo dye was first decolorized in an anaerobic reactor. Decolorization was improved by adding an auxiliary substrate (yeast extract and acetic acid). Although severe operating conditions were experienced due to failures in the temperature and pH-controllers, the reactor recovered quickly and continued to decolorize reliably. The removal of the auxiliary substrate in the anaerobic reactor was not satisfactory, probably due to the copper in the azo dye. Batch experiments showed that copper was removed from the dye molecule and precipitated during the decolorization. In the continuous now reactor, the copper precipitate on the disc can redissolve due to a pH-gradient in the fixed biomass becoming toxic again for the bacteria. In the following two aerobic reactors, the auxiliary substrate was degraded, but mineralization of the dye metabolites was insufficient. The aromatic amines produced by the anaerobic decolorization are more toxic in the bacterial luminescence test than the azo dye. Therefore, decolorization alone cannot be used to treat colored wastewater. Since the amines can also be produced in anaerobic parts of rivers, the dyes have to be removed in a more efficient way. That is the reason why in further experiments ozonation is being tested to increase the biological degradability of the azo dye for a following aerobic stage. Either ozonation can be used after the two stage treatment of the dye in anaerobic/aerobic reactors or the dye can be oxidized directly, making the addition of auxiliary substrate unnecessary. These configurations are being tested with the goal to degrade the dye with the least ozone consumption.