Bioremediation of anthracene contaminated soil in bio-slurry phase reactor operated in periodic discontinuous batch mode

Bioremediation of soil-bound anthracene was studied in a series of bio-slurry phase reactors operated in periodic discontinuous/sequencing batch mode under anoxic-aerobic-anoxic microenvironment using native soil microflora. Five reactors were operated for a total cycle period of 144 h (6 days) at soil loading rate of 16.66 kg soil/m3/day at 30 ± 2 °C temperature. The performance of the bioreactors was studied at various substrate loading rates (volumetric substrate loading rate (SLR), 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 g anthracene/kg soil/day) with and without bioaugmentation (domestic sewage inoculum; 2 × 106 CFU/g of soil). Control reactor (without microflora) showed negligible degradation of anthracene due to the absence of biological activity. The performance of the bio-slurry system with respect to anthracene degradation was found to depend on both substrate loading rate and bioaugmentation. Application of bioaugmentation showed positive influence on the rate of degradation of anthracene. Anthracene degradation data was analysed using different kinetic models to understand the mechanism of bioremediation process in the bio-slurry phase system. Variation in pH/oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), soil microflora and oxygen consumption rate correlated well with the substrate degradation pattern observed during soil slurry phase anthracene degradation.