A Performance Comparison of Anaerobic and an Integrated Anaerobic-Aerobic Biological Reactor System for the Effective Treatment of Textile Wastewater

The accumulation of recalcitrant azo dyes from untreated textile effluents has adversely impacted the ecosystem. The immense stability in their nature is conferred by the presence of azo bonds (N=N) in their structure. The reduction of this azo bond occurs exclusively under anaerobic conditions giving rise to colorless aromatic amines, which are carcinogenic. In the present study, a synthetic textile effluent containing mixed azo dyes such as Reactive Red, Reactive Black, and Reactive Brown, was treated using activated sludge under anaerobic conditions in a lab-scale anaerobic sequential batch reactor (An-SBR). At a concentration of 100 mg/L of mixed azo dyes, the An-SBR gave a maximum of 88% decolorization detected through UV-visible spectroscopy. Physicochemical analyses revealed 73% removal of BOD, 90% TDS removal, 69% COD removal, 4.05% TKN removal, 66% chloride removal, and 73% hardness removal. When the concentration of dyes was increased to 500 mg/L, the treatment showed a decrease in decolorization efficiency. This was then compared to a sequential anaerobic-aerobic treatment process performed in An-SBR and a laboratory-scale aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). The study revealed that the sequential process held more potential for commercial application than exclusively an anaerobic process. The metabolites formed during the treatment phase were extracted and analyzed by FT-IR and HPLC and identified through GC-MS analyses and were compared to those found in the untreated effluent. A phytotoxicity test was conducted on the remainder (secondary) sludge using Vigna unguiculata, and it was found to show a 50% reduction in germination and retardation in root and shoot length

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pyomyositis with myelitis: A rare occurrence with diverse presentation

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common bacterial pathogen implicated in pyomyositis. There are increasing reports of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections. The present case report brings out the diverse clinical manifestations of MRSA infection in the form of paraspinal pyomyositis, myelitis, spinal osteomyelitis, and pneumonia. Molecular typing of the organism confirmed the diagnosis. Patient was successfully treated with vancomycin and surgical drainage. Consideration of the possibility of methicillin-resistance and appropriate antibiotic selection is vital in the treatment of serious community-acquired staphylococcal infections