Abstract
Nonylphenol in water and digested sludge samples was degraded with potassium ferrate (K2FeO4) produced by the wet chemical method. Nonylphenol consisted of benzene ring labeled with 14C was used as a tracer to clarify the potentials of NP mineralization with ferrate and biodegradability of product from NP degradation with K2FeO4. The addition of K2FeO4 to the NP solution spiked with the tracer resulted in no remarkable decrease in the concentration of 14C. The inoculation of activated sludge microorganisms without K2FeO4 gradually diminished the concentration of 14C. The pretreatment with K2FeO4 slightly promoted the reduction of 14C with the microorganisms. These results suggested that NP was transformed to more biodegradable product through the pretreatment with K2FeO4.
