screening, identification of two high-efficiently phenol degradable strains and preliminary validation of bioaugmentation process combined with DTRO technology

Abstract:

[Objective] To isolate and screen the efficient phenol-degrading microorganisms from the coal chemical wastewater and preliminary investigate the feasibility to construct the bioaugmentation process combined with microorganisms and DTRO technology for phenolic wastewater treatment. [Methods] The phenol concentration gradient medium were used for isolation and screening of phenol-degrading microorganisms. The strains were preliminary identified based on the cell electron microscopy observation, physiological and biochemical characteristics analysis and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic tree construction. The bioaugmentation-DTRO process was built combined with high efficient phenol-degrading bacteria inocula and disc-tube reverse osmosis (DTRO) technology and this system was on trial for phenolic wastewater treatment. [Results] Seven bacteria strains were purified and among which strain Phe-03 and Phe-05 have the high-efficiently phenol degradable potential and can use phenol as the sole carbon source. The strain Phe-03 was preliminary determined as a strain of Agromyces and the Phe-05 as a strain of Corynebacterium. With initial 1 300 mg/L phenol concentration, the phenol degradation rate of the above two strains reached more than 70% within 44 h and over 90% at 76 h. So far, the phenol degradation activities of Agromyces genus microbes have not been reported. The new bio-augmentation process can not only effectively remove phenolic compounds in wastewater, reduce pollution of reverse osmosis membrane but also increase membrane permeability. [Conclusion] This research indicated that the bioaugmentation process can be built combined with microbial and DTRO technology for phenolic wastewater treatment. This work can provide an alternative idea for the study of phenolic wastewater treatment technology.