FED-BATCH SIMULTANEOUS SACCHARIFICATION AND FERMENTATION OF MICROWAVE/ACID/ALKALI/H2O2 PRETREATED RICE STRAW FOR PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL

The batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of microwave/acid/alkali/H₂O₂ pretreated rice straw to ethanol was optimized using cellulase from Trichoderma reesei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae YC-097 cells prior to the fed-batch SSF studies. The batch SSF optima were 10% w/v substrate, 40°C, 15 mg cellulase/g substrate, initial pH 5.3, and 72 hours. Under the optimum conditions the ethanol concentration and its yield were 29.1 g/L and 61.3% respectively. Based on the optimal batch SSF, the fed-batch SSF was investigated and its operation parameters were optimized. Under its optimal conditions the ethanol concentration reached 57.3 g/L, while its productivity and yield were only slightly less than those in the batch SSF. This suggests that fed-batch SSF is a potential operation mode for effective ethanol production from microwave/acid/alkali/H₂O₂ pretreated rice straw.     

Thermoelectric characterization of NaxMx/2Ti1−x/2O2 (M=Co, Ni and Fe) polycrystalline materials

Layered -titanate materials, Na_xM_x/2Ti_1−x/2O₂ (M=Co, Ni and Fe, x=0.2–0.4), were synthesized by flux reactions, and electrical properties of polycrystalline products were measured at 300–800 °C. After sintering at 1250 °C in Ar, all products show n-type thermoelectric behavior. The values of both d.c. conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of polycrystalline Na_0.4Ni_0.2Ti_0.8O₂ were ca. 7×10³ S/m and ca. −193 μV/K around 700 °C, respectively. The measured thermal conductivity of layered -titanate materials has lower value than conductive oxide materials. It was ca. 1.5 Wm⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 800 °C. The estimated thermoelectric figure-of-merit, Z, of Na_0.4Ni_0.2Ti_0.8O₂ and Na_0.4Co_0.2Ti_0.8O₂ was about 1.9×10⁻⁴ and 1.2×10⁻⁴ K⁻¹ around 700 °C, respectively.     

H2O2改性稻杆作为Pb2+吸附剂的工艺优化

H₂O₂改性稻杆作为Pb²⁺吸附剂,具有改性工艺环保、简单、成本低,以及对Pb²⁺吸附率高等特点,是一种优良的改性剂。优化改性工艺,制备优良吸附性能的H₂O₂改性稻杆具有较强的实用价值。详细探讨了改性工艺的影响因素如pH值、H₂O₂用量、Fe²⁺/H₂O₂物质的量之比、改性温度、改性时间、稻杆颗粒度和稻杆用量等对改性效果的影响,在单因素实验的基础上,通过正交实验和对比实验对改性工艺进行了进一步优化。得出最适宜的改性工艺为：在100 mL的溶液中,不加FeSO₄的情况下,稻杆用量为3 g,改性pH值为8,H₂O₂用量为稻秆用量的30%,稻杆颗粒度为40目,改性温度为20℃,改性时间为4 h。用2 g H₂O₂改性稻秆处理100 mL 200 mg/L的Pb²⁺废水时,对Pb²⁺的吸附率为94.45%,吸附容量为9.445 mg/g,表明H₂O₂改性稻秆具有优良的吸附性能。     

Grain growth in TiO2-added ZnO–Bi2O3–CoO–MnO ceramics prepared by chemical processing

The effect of TiO₂ on the grain growth of the ZnO–Bi₂O₃–CoO–MnO ceramic system prepared by chemical coprecipitation, was studied between 1150 and 1300 °C in air. Bi₂O₃ melts during firing, and then TiO₂ dissolves into Bi₂O₃-rich liquid. TiO₂ initially reacts with Bi₂O₃ to form Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂. Above ≈1050 °C, Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ reacts with ZnO to form Zn₂TiO₄ spinel phase. The kinetic study of grain growth carried out using the expression Gⁿ–G_oⁿ=K_o·t·exp(−Q/RT) gave grain exponent (n) value as 6 and the apparent activation energy (Q) as 226.46 kJ/mol. 1.00 mol% TiO₂ addition increased the grain growth exponent value from 6 to 7 and apparent activation energy with 1.00 mol% TiO₂ addition was found to be 197.10 kJ/mol. The ZnO grain size gradually increases with increasing TiO₂ content. Addition of TiO₂ may increase the reactivity of the Bi₂O₃-rich liquid towards the ZnO grain, thus affecting the ZnO grain growth.     

Medium-term phase stability of Na2O–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O geopolymer systems

The phase evolution and microstructural development of a series of geopolymer mixtures comprising SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Na₂O and H₂O prepared by alkali reaction of metakaolin, have been studied. The study also included the effects of cure duration and its impact on physical properties such as compressive strength. The characteristic molar ratios of the geopolymer mixtures were of the range SiO₂/Al₂O₃ [2.50–5.01] and Al₂O₃/Na₂O [0.60–1.70], respectively. The formulations were subjected to continuous curing at 40 °C for 7 months, and were analyzed periodically by XRD and SEM techniques.

Amorphous Na–Al–Si phase(s), observed at early ages, gradually transformed to crystalline phase(s) with prolonged curing. The initial SiO₂, Na₂O, and Al₂O₃ contents of mixtures appeared to be critical factors governing the observed amorphous → crystalline transformation. Well-developed crystalline zeolitic phases, including chabazite, faujasite, zeolite A and zeolite P, were identified in some of the mixtures investigated. In most cases, with prolonged curing, some correlation emerged relating compressive strength development with corresponding phase changes. In essence, the mixture formulations that developed crystalline phases after prolonged curing tended to produce low strengths. The relevance of these findings on the phase development of mild- to warm-temperature prolonged curing of geopolymer systems is discussed.     

ZrO2/SiO2催化剂的制备及其氧化脱硫性能研究

以己内酰胺-八水氧氯化锆低共熔溶剂为添加组分,采用溶胶-凝胶法合成含锆的硅胶,再经过高温煅烧得到n-ZrO₂/SiO₂ （n=2%,4%,6%） 负载型催化剂。并用红外光谱（FT-IR）、X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电镜（SEM）、N₂吸附-脱附、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）对其进行结构表征,确定ZrO₂成功负载到SiO₂上。以ZrO₂/SiO₂为催化剂和吸附剂,H₂O₂为氧化剂组成催化氧化脱硫体系,并应用于模拟油脱硫。分别考察了氧化锆负载量、反应温度、氧硫比、催化剂加入量及不同类型的硫化物对脱硫效果的影响。实验结果表明,在反应温度为70℃、n（H₂O₂）/n（S）=4（摩尔比）、4%-ZrO₂/SiO₂的加入量为0.2 g的最佳反应条件下,氧化脱硫体系对二苯并噻吩（DBT）、4,6-二甲基二苯并噻吩（4,6-DMDBT）和苯并噻吩（BT）的脱除率分别为98.7%、93%和65.9%。且4%-ZrO₂/SiO₂回收利用5次后,DBT脱除率仍可达到91.8%。     

Catalytic reduction of SO2 over supported transition-metal oxide catalysts with C2H4 as a reducing agent

This work investigates performances of supported transition-metal oxide catalysts for the catalytic reduction of SO₂ with C₂H₄ as a reducing agent. Experimental results indicate that the active species, the support, the feed ratio of C₂H₄/SO₂, and pretreatment are all important factors affecting catalyst activity. Fe₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ was found to be the most active catalyst among six γ-Al₂O₃-supported metal oxide catalysts tested. With Fe₂O₃ as the active species, of the supports tested, CeO₂ is the most suitable one. Using this Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ catalyst, we found that the optimal Fe content is 10 wt.%, the optimal feed ratio of C₂H₄/SO₂ is 1:1, and the catalyst presulfidized by H₂+H₂S exhibits a higher performance than those pretreated with H₂ or He. Although the feed concentrations of C₂H₄:SO₂ being 3000:3000 ppm provide a higher conversion of SO₂, the sulfur yield decreases drastically at temperatures above 300 °C. With higher feed concentrations, maximum yield appears at higher temperatures. The C₂H₄ temperature-programmed desorption (C₂H₄-TPD) and SO₂-TPD desorption patterns illustrate that Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ can adsorb and desorb C₂H₄ and SO₂ more easily than can Fe₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃. Moreover, the SO₂-TPD patterns further show that Fe₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ is more seriously inhibited by SO₂. These findings may properly explain why Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ has a higher activity for the reduction of SO₂.     

Comparative evaluation of Fe and TiO2 photoassisted processes in solar photocatalytic disinfection of water

A lost of culturability of bacteria Escherichia coli K12 was observed after exposition to a solar simulator (UV–vis) in a laboratory batch photoreactor. The bacterial inactivation reactions have been carried out using titanium dioxide (TiO₂) P25 Degussa and FeCl₃ as catalysts. At the starting of the treatment, the suspensions were at their “natural” pH. An increase in the efficiency in the water disinfection was obtained when some advanced oxidation processes such as UV–vis/TiO₂, UV–vis/TiO₂/H₂O₂, UV–vis/Fe³⁺/H₂O₂, UV–vis/H₂O₂ were applied. The presence of H₂O₂ accelerates the rate of disinfection via TiO₂. The addition of Fe³⁺ (0.3 mg/l) to photocatalytic system decreases the time required for total disinfection (<1 CFU/ml), for TiO₂ concentrations ranging between 0.05 and 0.5 g/l. At TiO₂ concentrations higher than 0.5 g/l the addition of Fe³⁺ does not significantly increase the disinfection rate. The systems: Fenton (H₂O₂/Fe³⁺/dark), H₂O₂/dark, H₂O₂/TiO₂/dark showed low disinfection rate. The effective disinfection time (EDT₂₄) was reached after 60 and 30 min of illumination for the Fe³⁺ and TiO₂ photoassisted systems, respectively. EDT₂₄ was not reached for the system in the absence of catalyst (UV–vis). The effect on the bacterial inactivation of different mixture of chemical substance added to natural water was studied.     

碱/碱土金属修饰Ni基催化剂的CO2吸附与甲烷化性能

采用分步浸渍法制备了碱/碱土金属修饰Ni基催化剂Ni-M/Al₂O₃ (M=K₂CO₃, Na₂CO₃, MgO, CaO)。探究了碱/碱土金属的添加对改性Ni基催化剂CO₂吸附和甲烷化性能的影响。研究发现,碱/碱土金属的添加提高了Ni/Al₂O₃催化剂表面的碱性活性位点密度,强化了其CO₂吸附性能。碱/碱土金属类型影响Ni-M/Al₂O₃催化剂碱性活性位点的分布、NiO物相的转化及Ni的分散度,进而影响其甲烷化性能。MgO添加使NiO物相转化为与载体呈强相互作用的β型和γ型NiO,降低了催化剂表面的强碱性活性位点比例,有利于CO₂吸附活化。Ni-MgO/Al₂O₃的CO₂吸附容量最高为0.68mmolCO₂/g,其CO₂转化率和CH₄选择性分别高达58.4%和95.4%,其在烟气CO₂捕集与原位甲烷化中极具应用前景。     

Effects of microwaves on selective oxidation of toluene to benzoic acid over a V2O5/TiO2 system

Two series of catalysts, V₂O₅/TiO₂ and modified V₂O₅/TiO₂, were prepared with a conventional impregnation method. They were tested in the selective oxidation of toluene to benzoic acid under microwave irradiation. The reaction conditions were optimized over V₂O₅/TiO₂. It was found that in the microwave catalytic process the optimum reactor bed temperature of the titled reaction decreases to 500 K (600 K in the conventional process). The modification of V₂O₅/TiO₂ with MoO₃, WO₃, Nb₂O₅ or Ta₂O₅, which has no negative influence on the reaction in the conventional catalytic process, can greatly promote the catalytic activities in the microwave process, leading to a high yield of benzoic acid (41%). The effects of microwave electromagnetic field on the catalysts are discussed.     

Pt/Al_2O_3与Pt/MgO-Al_2O_3催化剂制备及其催化氢能载体甲基环己烷脱氢反应性能

以碱共沉淀法制备Mg-Al水滑石,然后采用浸渍法负载活性组分Pt,经焙烧、氢气还原得到Pt/Al_2O_3与Pt/Mg O-Al_2O_3催化剂,采用XRD、N2吸附-脱附、FT-IR、H2-TPR和Py-IR等分析Mg O的加入对Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂结构性能的影响,并在甲基环己烷连续脱氢反应中对比两种催化剂活性。结果表明,Pt/Mg O-Al_2O_3催化剂比表面积小于Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂,且表面基本无酸性活性中心,但表现出与Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂相同的脱氢活性。在Pt负载质量分数2%、催化剂用量0.5 g、甲基环己烷0.1 m L·min-1纯样进料和325℃反应10 h后,原料平均转化率79.9%,脱氢产物只有甲苯,对应的产氢速率192.8 mmol·(g-metal·min)-1,表现出优良的脱氢活性。     

NH3-TPD and XPS studies of Ru/Al2O3 catalyst and HDS activity

The effects of pretreatment of catalyst on its surface properties and the HDS activity of a 0.49% Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst were studied in a single-pass, differential microreactor. The surface properties of the catalyst were measured by NH₃-TPD and XPS analysis. The Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst was pretreated in three ways: reduced in H₂ (Ru-R catalyst), oxidized in air and subsequently reduced in H₂ (Ru-OR catalyst), or sulfided in H₂S/H₂ (Ru-S catalyst). Three types of peaks (low, middle, and high temperatures) were observed in the NH₃-TPD study. The predominant high-temperature peak was observed for both the Ru-OR and Ru-S catalyst, pretreated at 300°C. Mass spectrometry showed that the high-temperature peak in NH₃-TPD consisted of N₂ and H₂ formed from the decomposition of NH₃ on the ruthenium sites. NO adsorption of unsaturated Ru species was related to the low-temperature peak in the NH₃-TPD. The XPS analysis showed that the peaks at 279.9 eV, 280.6 eV, and 282.5 eV were ascribed to metallic ruthenium, RuO₂, and RuO₃, respectively. The low-, middle-, and high-temperature peaks were assigned to RuO₂, acid sites on alumina, and metallic Ru, respectively. Metallic ruthenium was effective in the HDS of thiophene and the decomposition of NH₃.     

Inhibition effect of H2O on V2O5/AC catalyst for catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 at low temperature

The inhibition effect of H₂O on V₂O₅/AC catalyst for NO reduction with NH₃ is studied at temperatures up to 250 °C through TPD, elemental analyses, temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) and FT-IR analyses. The results show that H₂O does not reduce NO and NH₃ adsorption on V₂O₅/AC catalyst surface, but promotes NH₃ adsorption due to increases in Brønsted acid sites. Many kinds of NH₃ forms present on the catalyst surface, but only NH₄⁺ on Brønsted acid sites and a small portion of NH₃ on Lewis acid sites are reactive with NO at 250 °C or below, and most of the NH₃ on Lewis acid sites does not react with NO, regardless the presence of H₂O in the feed gas. H₂O inhibits the SCR reaction between the NH₃ on the Lewis acid sites and NO, and the inhibition effect increases with increasing H₂O content. The inhibition effect is reversible and H₂O does not poison the V₂O₅/AC catalyst.     

Fe/Fe cycling promoted by Ta3N5 under visible irradiation in Fenton degradation of organic pollutants

Ta₃N₅ was synthesized by nitridation of Ta₂O₅ under NH₃ flow at 700 °C. The catalyst was pure Ta₃N₅ according to X-ray diffraction (XRD), and was about 5 nm in size with a BET specific surface area 52.8 m²/g. When Ta₃N₅ was added to Fe³⁺/H₂O₂ solution (known as Fenton-like system), most Fe³⁺ were adsorbed on the Ta₃N₅ surface and could not react with H₂O₂ in the dark, which is different from the general Fenton reaction. Under visible light irradiation, adsorbed Fe³⁺ ions were reduced to Fe²⁺ rapidly and Fe²⁺ were reoxidized by H₂O₂ on the Ta₃N₅ surface, thus a fast Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ cycling was established. Kinetics and ESR measurements supported this mechanism. The Ta₃N₅/Fe³⁺/H₂O₂ system could efficiently decompose H₂O₂ to generate hydroxyl radicals driven by visible light, which could accelerate significantly the degradation of organic molecules such as N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA), and 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP). A mechanism was proposed for iron cycling on the basis of experimental results.     

PREPARATION OF PEROVSKITE 0.75Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.25PbTiO3 CERAMICS USING SEMICHEMICAL METHODS AND RELATED REACTION MECHANISMS

This article discusses a mechanism for preparing perovskite powders, 0.75Pb(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.25PbTiO₃ (PNN-PT), using a semichemical method (SCM).Precursors were prepared by adding aqueous Ni(Ac)₂ solutions to an alcohol slurry of PbO, Nb₂O₅, and TiO₂. The TG-DTG and DSC analysis of the precursors and XRD analysis of the powders at different thermal treatment temperatures showed that the reaction mechanisms in this method differ from those in the conventional mixed-oxide method. The aqueous Ni(Ac)₂ solution reacted with PbO to form Pb(Ac)₂ · Pb(OH)₂ · H₂O and Ni(OH)₂, which decomposed to form nascent PbO and NiO, thereby improving the reactivity and distribution of PbO and NiO. Pb₃Nb₂O₈ and NiNb₂O₆ formed and were easily converted into the perovskite phase during the thermal treatment process. At a thermal treatment temperature of 850°C, the content of the perovskite phase reached 98%. Pyrochlore-free PNN-PT ceramic was obtained after 2 h of sintering at 1100°C, and its dielectric properties were found to be excellent at temperatures ranging between -55 and 120°C.     

Intensification of levofloxacin sono-degradation in a US/H2O2 system with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles

Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesised, characterised, and used as a peroxidase mimetic to ac-celerate levofloxacin sono-degradation in an ultrasound (US)/H2O2 system. The Fe3O4 MNPs were in nanometre scale with an average diameter of approximately 12 to 18 nm. The introduction of Fe3O4 MNPs increased levofloxacin sono-degradation in the US/H2O2 system. Experimental parameters, such as Fe3O4 MNP dose, initial solution pH, and H2O2 concentration, were investigated by a one-factor-at-a-time approach. The results showed that Fe3O4 MNPs enhanced levofloxacin removal in the pH range from 4.0 to 9.0. Levofloxacin removal ratio in-creased with Fe3O4 MNP dose up to 1.0 g·L?1 and with H2O2 concentration until reaching the maximum. More-over, three main intermediate compounds were identified by HPLC with electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry, and a possible degradation pathway was proposed. This study suggests that combination of H2O2, Fe3O4 MNPs and US is a good way to improve the degradation efficiency of antibiotics.     

Preparation of P2O5-SiO2 hollow microspheres in the presence of phosphoric acid

Silica hollow microspheres containing phosphorous have been prepared by a sol-gel/emulsion method which uses tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the precursor for the SiO₂ and phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) as the precursor for P₂O₅. The hollow structure forms an emulsion system which is composed of an oil phase (kerosene, sorbitan monooleate (Span 80)) and an aqueous phase (a viscous sol solution of ethanol, TEOS and H₃PO₄). Some of the phosphorous remains in the final silica shell structure even after calcination at 650°C. The hollow structure of the P₂O₅-SiO₂ (silicophosphate) was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarized optical microscopy (POM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption measurement and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).     

Combined effect of H2O and SO2 on V2O5/AC catalysts for NO reduction with ammonia at lower temperatures

Combined effect of H₂O and SO₂ on V₂O₅/AC the activity of catalyst for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃ at lower temperatures was studied. In the absence of SO₂, H₂O inhibits the catalytic activity, which may be attributed to competitive adsorption of H₂O and reactants (NO and/or NH₃). Although SO₂ promotes the SCR activity of the V₂O₅/AC catalyst in the absence of H₂O, it speeds the deactivation of the catalyst in the presence of H₂O. The dual effect of SO₂ is attributed to the SO₄²⁻ formed on the catalyst surface, which stays as ammonium-sulfate salts on the catalyst surface. In the absence of H₂O, a small amount of ammonium-sulfate salts deposits on the surface of the catalyst, which promote the SCR activity; in the presence of H₂O, however, the deposition rate of ammonium-sulfate salts is much greater, which results in blocking of the catalyst pores and deactivates the catalyst. Decreasing V₂O₅ loading decreases the deactivation rate of the catalyst. The catalyst can be used stably at a space velocity of 9000 h⁻¹ and temperature of 250 °C.     

CuO含量对Pd/Al2O3催化剂乙醇氧化性能的影响

采用浸渍法制备了一系列具有不同CuO含量的Pd-CuO/Al₂O₃催化剂，并将其用于乙醇氧化反应，其结构与性质通过XRD、H₂-TPR和NH₃-TPD等手段进行分析。结果发现，催化剂的活性并不是随着CuO含量的增加而增强，Pd-1.0%CuO/Al₂O₃催化剂表现出最佳的活性，其点火温度和完全转化温度比Pd/Al₂O₃催化剂至少降低了50℃。与Pd/Al₂O₃催化剂相比，含CuO催化剂增强的衍射峰强度以及氢化钯分解峰的消失，说明Pd-Cu合金结构的形成有利于Pd、Cu物种之间的协同作用。对于Pd-1.0%CuO/Al₂O₃催化剂来说，还原峰向低温的移动以及还原峰面积的增大说明该催化剂上氧化性物质更易被还原且数量在增加，这对于氧化反应是十分有利的，新出现的还原峰表示Pd、Cu的相互作用生成了新物种。NH₃-TPD结果中更高含量的低温酸有利于高活性，而且新出现的脱附峰说明形成了新的酸性位点。     

Microbial reduction of sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide

Two process concepts have been developed for a microbial contribution to the problem of flue gas desulfurization and NO_x removal. We have demonstrated that the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans can be grown in a mixed culture with fermentative heterotrophs in a medium in which glucose served as the only carbon source. Beneficial cross-feeding resulted in vigorous growth of D. desulfuricans, which used SO₂(g) as a terminal electron acceptor, with complete reduction of SO₂ to H₂S in 1–2 s of contact time. We have proposed that the concentrated SO₂ stream, obtained from regeneration of the sorbent in regenerable processes for flue gas desulfurization, could be split with two-thirds of the SO₂ reduced to H₂S by contact with a culture of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The resulting H₂S could then be combined with the remaining SO₂ and used as feed to a Claus reactor to produce elemental sulfur. However, the use of glucose as an electron donor in microbial SO₂ reducing cultures would be prohibitively expensive. Therefore, if microbial reduction of SO₂ is to be economically viable, less expensive electron donors must be found. Consequently, we have evaluated the use of municipal sewage sludge and elemental hydrogen as carbon and/or energy sources for SO₂ reducing cultures. Heat and alkali pretreated sewage sludge has been successfully used as a carbon and energy source to support SO₂ reduction in a continuous, anaerobic mixed culture containing D. desulfuricans. The culture operated for nine months with complete reduction of SO₂ and H₂S. Another sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfotomaculum orientis, has also been grown in batch cultures on a feed of SO₂, H₂ and CO₂. Complete reduction of SO₂ to H₂S was observed with gas-liquid contact times of 1–2 s. We have also demonstrated that the facultative anaerobe and chemoautotroph, Thiobacillus denitrificans, can be cultured anoxically in batch reactors using NO(g) as a terminal electron acceptor with reduction to elemental nitrogen. We have proposed that the concentrated stream of NO_x, as obtained from certain regenerable processes for flue gas desulfurization and NO_x removal, could be converted to elemental nitrogen for disposal by contact with a culture T. denitrificans. Two heterotrophic bacteria have also been identified which may be grown in batch cultures with succinate or heat and alkali pretreated sewage sludge as carbon and energy sources and NO as a terminal electron acceptor. These are Paracoccus denitrificans and Pseudomonas denitrificans.