Chang L L, Raudenbush D L, Dentel S K
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark 19716, USA.
Water Sci Technol. 2001;44(2-3):461-8.
Flocculant polymers are used to improve the efficiency of separation processes used in wastewater treatment. The subsequent fate and effects of these additives are uncertain, however, with some previous reports indicating them to be biodegradable while others indicate complete recalcitrance. The biodegradability of a common flocculant polymer was therefore evaluated, using both aerobic and anaerobic batch assays. Knowledge of the polymer's chemical composition also allowed degradation stoichiometries to be calculated for complete biodegradation and also for incomplete degradation to several hypothesized end products. Results showed conclusively that the polymer was subject to partial degradation by both aerobic and anaerobic cultures. Measured oxygen consumption under aerobic conditions, and gas production under anaerobic conditions, both indicate that the partial destruction of pendant cationic moieties occurs, but that the polymer's CH2 backbone remains essentially intact. These results allow seemingly contradictory previous reports to be explained. The findings are relevant to the environmental fate of these polymers as well as certain treatment process effects.
絮凝聚合物用于提高废水处理中分离工艺的效率。然而，这些添加剂随后的归宿和影响尚不确定，此前一些报告表明它们可生物降解，而另一些报告则表明它们完全难降解。因此，使用好氧和厌氧批次试验评估了一种常见絮凝剂聚合物的生物降解性。对聚合物化学成分的了解还使得能够计算出完全生物降解以及不完全降解为几种假定终产物时的降解化学计量。结果明确表明，该聚合物在好氧和厌氧培养条件下都会发生部分降解。好氧条件下测得的耗氧量和厌氧条件下的产气情况均表明，聚合物侧链阳离子部分会发生部分破坏，但聚合物的CH2主链基本保持完整。这些结果解释了此前看似相互矛盾的报告。这些发现与这些聚合物的环境归宿以及某些处理过程的影响有关。
