Degradation of wine distillery wastewaters by the combination of aerobic biological treatment with chemical oxidation by Fenton's reagent.

The degradation of wine distillery wastewaters by aerobic biological treatment has been investigated in a batch reactor. The evolution of the chemical oxygen demand, biomass and total contents of polyphenolic and aromatic compounds was followed through each experiment. According to the Contois model, a kinetic expression for the substrate utilization rate is derived, and its biokinetic constant is evaluated. The final effluents of the aerobic biological experiments were oxidized by Fenton's reagent. The evolution of chemical oxygen demand, hydrogen peroxide concentration and total contents of polyphenolic and aromatic compounds was followed through each experiment. A kinetic model to interpret the experimental data is proposed. The kinetic rate constant of the global reaction is determined.