Iron oxide-bearing wastes as media for supporting biodegradation of BTEX

Al-Obaidi, Safaa A., Srivastava, Pallavee ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6974-0715, Webster, Gordon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9530-7835, Weightman, Andrew J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6671-2209 and Sapsford, Devin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6763-7909 2024. Iron oxide-bearing wastes as media for supporting biodegradation of BTEX. Minerals 14 (12) , 1231. 10.3390/min14121231

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (3MB)

Abstract

Two common iron oxide-bearing wastes—a drinking water treatment residual and a passive mine water treatment sludge (MWTS)—were utilised with and without modification as media in microcosm experiments to treat artificial benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX)-contaminated wastewater. In all cases, the removal of BTEX was observed over the 160-day experiments, with benzene being the most recalcitrant. The solubilisation of iron was observed, which, alongside the syntropic relationship between the methanogens and firmicutes, allowed several anaerobic processes to occur, including iron reduction in concert with the biodegradation of BTEX. Nitrogen sparging prior to microcosm establishment, compared to aeration, was seen to lead to the greater subsequent removal of BTEX, indicating that anaerobic conditions favoured removal. The rates of BTEX removal indicated that these iron oxide-bearing wastes, an abundant waste stream, may be an interesting candidate for cost-effective media for BTEX remediation in applications such as permeable reactive barriers.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Engineering Biosciences
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	2075-163X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 December 2024
Date of Acceptance:	21 November 2024
Last Modified:	16 Dec 2024 14:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/174653

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item