Nitrosation of dimethylformamide (DMF) wastewater in fluidized bed biological reactors

DMF is a toxic organic compound used in various industrial processes. It has been linked to causing cancer and assorted birth defects, and therefore is a dangerous compound to have in wastewater. The process of nitrosation is simply the conversion an organic molecule into a nitroso derivative, essentially a molecule with a nitrogenoxygen functional group. This process will turn the toxic DMF into a safe non-toxic compound. We expect to see different levels of DMF degradation depending on the setting of the reactor. By changing parameters such as pH (acidity or alkalinity) we hope to find the most effective and efficient way to degrade DMF in wastewater.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jesse Zhu

Student:

Aaron Alaimo

Partner:

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

Western University

Program:

Globalink