Dosing With Product From the Waste: Use of Fractions

Different waste material serves as a potential source of various dosing substrates. Sweetmeat waste (SMW) has been studied for its potential as a suitable carbon source for sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB). The SMW contained high sugar (520–580 mg/g), and a reasonable amount of suitable organic acids. Various fractions of SMW at different concentrations were tested for usefulness to support SRB growth and sulfate reduction. Most fractions worked well at lower concentrations (COD/ SO 4 2 − around 1.2), with balanced bacto-tryptone supplement (C/N~11). The filtered SMW fraction was most effective in supporting the highest sulfate reduction (70%), and growth of the highest SRB population (93.5%). Desulfovibrio desulfuricans was found to be the common SRB species in all fractionated media. The study showed the prospect of SMW as a suitable alternative to commercial carbon sources for SRB. In industrial wastewater treatment process design, supplementation of cost-effective dosing substrate has become an important criteria.