Biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons using microbial adsorbed bioreactor.

Polyurethane (PU) tubular coil-based bioreactor was constructed and evaluated for the effective biodegradation of benzene, toluene, xylene and phenol (BTXP). Herein, the removal of BTXP was done with a formulated bacterial consortium adsorbed on the inner surface of the PU coil. The formulated consortium consisted of four bacterial strains namely, Alcaligenes sp. d 2 , Enterobacter aerogenes, Raoultella sp. and Bacillus megaterium. The adsorption ability of the bacterial cells onto the coil surface was assessed by spectrophotometric and Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) analysis. BTXP degradation performance was evaluated by Ultra-Violet spectroscopy and the degradation was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT/IR). The bioreactor constructed using polyurethane (PU) tubular coil with adsorbed bacterial cells exhibited 70% degradation capacity of 250 µL of 5% benzene, toluene, xylene and phenol (BTXP) at a pH of 6 within 8 h of treatment. FT/IR spectra of the treated sample indicated the production of ketonic, carboxylic acid/esters during biodegradation. The innovative technology proposed in the current study with the formulated bacterial consortium and the novel bioreactor opens up new possibilities for the better removal of BTXP mixture from contaminated sites and industrial effluents. © King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2020.