Denitrifying sulfide removal process on high-tetracycline wastewater

Antibiotics wastewater from tetracycline (TC) production unit can have high levels of chemical oxygen demand, ammonium and sulfate and up to a few hundreds of milligrams per liter of TC. Denitrifying sulfide removal (DSR) process is set up for simultaneously removal of sulfur, carbon and nitrogen from waters. The DSR process was for the first time studied for treating TC wastewaters. The TC stress has no adverse effects on removal rates of nitrate and acetate; however, it moderately deteriorated sulfide removal rates and S0 accumulation rates when the concentration is higher than 100 mg L−1 TC. The Thauera sp., and Pseudomonas sp. present the heterotrophs and Sulfurovum sp. presented the autotroph for the present DSR reactions. The high tolerance of TC stress by the tested consortium was explained by the excess production of extracellular polymeric substances at high TC concentration, which can bind with TC for minimizing its inhibition effects.