RESPONSE OF A PERIODICALLY OPERATED HALOPHILIC BIOFILM REACTOR TO CHANGES IN SALT CONCENTRATION

A moderate halophilic organism was isolated from the Great Salt Lake, UT, USA which utilized phenol in a simulated waste brine containing 1 - 15% salt. Growth characteristics of this organism were not affected by preculture salt concentration. When placed in a periodically operat ed Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor (SBBR), the organism formed a biof ilm on the gas permeable silicone tubing used to aerate the reactor. R eactor performance was not effected by large (14%) step changes in sal t concentration. The results suggest that biofilms of halophilic bacte ria can be used to effectively treat waste brines with high and variab le salt contents.