Removal of hazardous organic pollutants by biomass adsorption

Abstract

The fate of hazardous organic pollutants, such as pesticides, discharged into conventional biological wastewater treatment processes is not well understood. These compounds may be re moved from the wastewater stream by biod?gradation, volatil ization (air stripping), sorption by the biomass, or other processes. Of these processes, sorption would accumulate pollutants in the sludge and create potential environmental hazards associated with ultimate sludge disposal. This biological adsorption process, however, may provide a cost-effective treatment method for biorefractory organic pollutants. Also, because many hazardous compounds are present in discharges to municipal wastewater treatment plants, a better understanding of the fate of these pol lutants is needed. Accumulation of some hazardous pollutants by selected live and dead microorganisms has been investigated by various