Monoethanolamine biodegradation processes

摘要

Biodegradation of monoethanolamine is studied due to the potential relevance of biological MEA waste treatment. The suggested degradation pathways proceed through the formation of acetic acid and ammonium. under aerobic, micro-aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation conditions. Anaerobic and micro-aerobic digestion is identified as energetically favourable compared to aerobic treatment. A dynamic mass balance model for MEA biodegradation under complete anaerobic and micro-aerobic conditions is proposed based on published stoichiometric and kinetic parameters. The model is integrated in a standard anaerobic digestion model and implemented in a process simulation tool to predict and eventually test MEA wastewater treatment plant designs. The developed model is validated through a series of biodegradation experiments described elsewhere (Botheju et al, 2010a).