ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the biodegradation effect and biodegradation mechanism of aniline aerofloat wastewater. MethodSmall-scale processing of simulated aniline aerofloat wastewater was carried out with SBR （Sequencing Batch Reactor） system; intermediate products in the process were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. ResultAccording to the experimental results, the small-scale process was basically stably operated after 40 days of activation and regulation, leading to relatively ideal degradation effect on aniline aerofloat, the COD removal efficiency reached 64.3% , degradation rate of aniline aerofloat reached 93.4%, which could be applied in the treatment of mine flotation wastewater containing such pollutant. During the degradation process, pH increased from 5.83 to 6.60 and then dropped to 6.17, which might be caused by the thiocyanate ions and aniline generated in the degradation process. Aniline aerofloat mainly produced two preliminary products during the biodegradation process： aniline and a substance that was difficult to be biodegraded under aerobic conditions, which was the main reason for the relatively high COD value in effluent. Furthermore, aniline was eventually biodegraded. ConclusionThis study provided basis for the development of biological treatment of flotation wastewater in China and showed great significance for the improvement of ecological environment around the mines.
