Abstract: A process is provided for treating spent antibiotic fermentation broth containing concentrations of up to about 12 percent fats and up to about 9.5 percent proteins which comprises acidifying such spent broth to coagulate the fats, impinging the coagulated fat on a coalescing strainer, basifying the effluent therefrom to coagulate the proteinaceous material, filtering the basified spent broth to remove the proteinaceous material, and passing the filtrate serially through anionic and cationic exchange resins, wherein the biological oxygen demand of the effluent therefrom is reduced to a level of less than 0.04 g. oxygen per liter.

Abstract: Super-oxygenation of bio-oxidizable fluid in a bio-oxidation reactor is accomplished by continuously transferring a stream of said fluid from the top of the column of fluid in said reactor to an oxidator vessel equipped with a high-shear agitator, introducing an oxygen containing gas into the bottom of the column of fluid in said vessel, rapidly revolving said agitator concurrently with the flow of said gas into said vessel, and continuously transferring a stream of said fluid from the top of the column of fluid in said vessel to the bottom of the column of fluid in said reactor.