Application of Microbial Technology in Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater generated during industrial processes poses significant environmental challenges due to the presence of unreacted xenobiotic organic compounds, volatile acids, and other nondegradable chemicals, which are resistant to bacterial degradation; hence, it poses environmental issues of disposal in water bodies or on land. Here, we present a case study for such an effluent generated from a chemical factory in Gujarat, India, producing hexamethyltetramine (hexamine), which is synthesized from chemical reaction of ammonia, methanol, and formaldehyde. Hexamine, known for its bactericidal properties and resistance to biodegradation, necessitates effective treatment before discharge into natural streams. In this study, a microorganism specifically a bacterial species having exceptional characteristics for degrading hexamine compounds was isolated and adapted for hexamine biodegradation at a large scale along with ammonia, methanol, and formaldehyde in the effluent, which are released from the hexamine production. Bioreactors at different scales (5, 200, and 50,000 L) demonstrated the isolate’s effectiveness in reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 70% and ammoniacal nitrogen by 50.0% within 28 days. This study contributes valuable insights into the biodegradation of xenobiotic organic pollutants such as hexamine-containing industrial wastewater, emphasizing the potential of isolated and adapted Pseudomonas sp. MTCC 5833 for environmentally friendly and sustainable treatment processes.