Behavior of polyvinyl alcohol in anaerobic environment after (pre)treatment with chemical oxidation

Abstract

This work focused on behavior of polyvinyl alcohol after chemical treatment with Fenton reagent in anaerobic environment. Polyvinyl alcohol anaerobic biodegradation reached only 7% in anaerobic tests using digestion sludge activated sludge from the municipal wastewater treatment. Fenton reaction was used for (pre)treatment of polyvinyl alcohol prior to biological treatment. Effect of pH, dosage reactants in Fenton process, time of reaction on the rate of polyvinyl alcohol degradation was studied. Test biodegradability showed that the oxidative products of polyvinyl alcohol after Fenton process were not toxic to anaerobic digested sludge. Fenton reaction may be an option for biodegradability improvement of polyvinyl alcohol in wastewater treatment.