Biodegradation of monoethylene glycol on continuous bench scale reactor by bacterial consortia.

Wastewater containing monoethylene glycol (MEG) was investigated for biodegradation on a continuous bench scale bioreactor applying an activated sludge process. The bacterial consortia were prepared using three isolated bacterial strains and process conditions, viz. HRT, biomass concentration and air requirements were optimized to achieve efficient biodegradation. The results show 89% COD, 95% BOD reduction at a HRT of 10 h and organic loading of 0.0136 kg/day. The reduction in COD/BOD was related to removal of MEG concentration. The metabolic pathway was investigated in a batch mode and confirmed the formation of acetaldehyde and acetic acid as intermediates.