Anaerobic biodegradation and denitrification bio-augmentation of nicotine in tobacco sheets wastewater

The biodegradation of paper-making tobacco sheet wastewater in anaerobic granular sludge UASB batch reactor was inspected and analyzed for the purpose to strengthen the anaerobic biodegradation of nicotine in wastewater, and the biodegradation curve of nicotine in anaerobic process was drawn out with the suggestion that biodegradation of nicotine might deal with the mechanism of synergistic biodegradation. Denitrification as a bio-augmentation technique was introduced into the domestication of anaerobic granular sludge. Nitrate was added into the wastewater to induce the metabolism activity of anaerobic denitrifying bacterium. The results showed that after domestication the concentration of nicotine and CODCr could be decreased from above 120 to 25 mg/L and from 600 to 200－300 mg/L separately in anaerobic granular sludge UASB batch reactor. Denitrification can increase the biodegradation of nicotine in paper-making tobacco sheet wastewater significantly.