Abstract: Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) wastewater contains a large number of aromatic hydrocarbon organic compounds, including refractory organic compounds of TA and methyl benzoic acid. In this article, the mechanisms of aerobic degradation and anaerobic degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons as well as TA degradation in PTA wastewater are analyzed. The rate of aerobic degradation is significantly higher than that of anaerobic degradation. At present, research on PTA wastewater treatment is focused on aerobic treatment and anaerobic treatment processes. Some technologies of aerobic, anaerobic and aerobic-anaerobic treatments as well as their effects are introduced. Aerobic-anaerobic treatment is summarized to be the optimal treatment process in comprehensive consideration of investment, energy consumption, sludge volume, operation, and processing efficiency. Vortex flow anaerobic reactor plus two-stage aerobic treatment, hydrolysis plus A/O, and two-stage A/O are common combinations. Furthermore, the influences of Co, Mn, nutrients, temperature and pH on the biological treatment of PTA wastewater are discussed. In addition, the development prospect of research trends in PTA wastewater treatment technology is also presented.

Key words: PTA wastewater, aerobic degradation, anaerobic degradation, biological treatment, TA degradation