Biological Denitrification of High Nitrate Processing Wastewaters from Explosives Production Plant

Wastewater samples originating from an explosives production plant (3,000 mg N l⁻¹ nitrate, 4.8 mg l⁻¹ nitroglycerin, 1.9 mg l⁻¹ nitroglycol and 1,200 mg l⁻¹ chemical oxygen demand) were subjected to biological purification. An attempt to completely remove nitrate and to decrease the chemical oxygen demand was carried out under anaerobic conditions. A soil isolated microbial consortium capable of biodegrading various organic compounds and reduce nitrate to atmospheric nitrogen under anaerobic conditions was used. Complete removal of nitrates with simultaneous elimination of nitroglycerin and ethylene glycol dinitrate (nitroglycol) was achieved as a result of the conducted research. Specific nitrate reduction rate was estimated at 12.3 mg N g⁻¹ VSS h⁻¹. Toxicity of wastewater samples during the denitrification process was studied by measuring the activity of dehydrogenases in the activated sludge. Mutagenicity was determined by employing the Ames test. The maximum mutagenic activity did not exceed 0.5. The obtained results suggest that the studied wastewater samples did not exhibit mutagenic properties.