Treatment of soybean wastewater by a wild strain Rhodobacter sphaeroides and to produce protein under natural conditions

Abstract

The conventional treatment method of soybean wastewater is expensive and generates waste sludge that requires further handling. Purple nonsulfur bacteria (PNSB) wastewater treatment is a clean technology and can generate single cell protein while degrading pollutants. A wild strain of PNSB, Rhodobacter sphaeroides Z08, was isolated from local soil and was used to treat soybean wastewater. To develop a cost-effective process, the work was performed under natural conditions without artificial light, aeration, nutrients addition, or pH and temperature adjustment. The results showed that the wild strain Rhodobacter sphaeroides Z08 could grow well under natural conditions. The growth curve showed two quick-growth periods and a turning point. The Z08 treatment of soybean wastewater was zero order reaction and COD reduction was 96% after 10 d. The major byproducts of the process were C2-C5 organic acids, predominantly butyric acid. No alcohol was found in the effluent. The initial COD/bacterial-mass ratio (F/M) had a significant effect on soybean wastewater treatment efficiency. When the initial F/M was lower than 10 mg-COD/mg-bacteria, a sufficient amount of time to achieve 90% of COD reduction was only three days. The Z08 biomass yield was 0.28g·g^−1, and the bacterial protein content was 52%.

Keywords

purple nonsulfur bacteria (PNSB) / Rhodobacter sphaeroides Z08 / soybean wastewater / cost effective