Purified terephthalic acid wastewater biodegradation and toxicity.

The biodegradation and toxicity of the purified terephthalic acid (PTA) processing wastewater was researched at NJYZ pilot with the fusant strain Fhhh in the carrier activated sludge process (CASP). Sludge loading rate (SLR) for Fhhh to COD of the wastewater was 1.09 d(-1) and to PTA in the wastewater was 0.29 d(-1). The results of bioassay at the pilot and calculation with software Ebis3 showed that the 48h-LC50 (median lethal concentration) to Daphnia magna for the PTA concentration in the wastewater was only 1/10 of that for the chemical PTA. There were 5 kinds of benzoate pollutants and their toxicities existing in the wastewater at least. The toxicity parameter value of the pure chemical PTA cannot be used to predicate the PTA wastewater toxicity. The toxicity of the NJYZ PTA wastewater will be discussed in detail in this paper.