M. Kowalska et al., BIODEGRADATION OF PHENOLS AND CYANIDES USING MEMBRANES WITH IMMOBILIZED MICROORGANISMS, Process biochemistry, 33(2), 1998, pp. 189-197
The immobilization of microorganisms on ultrafiltration membranes made
from polyacrylonitrile modified chemically with hydrazine hydrate and
glutaraldehyde and their application to the biodegradation of phenol
and cyanide contained in industrial wastewaters was examined. Three ty
pes of microorganism isolated from a mixed population of activated slu
dge adapted to phenol and cyanide decomposition were immobilized. Simu
lated phenol and phenol-cyanide wastewaters with a concentration of xe
nobiotics equal to their concentration in coke sewage were subject to
ultrafiltration. The membranes were operated at a pressure ranging fro
m 0.5 x 10(5) to 2.5 x 10(5) Pa, at a constant temperature of 298 K an
d a constant stirring rate in the bioreactor of 250 rpm. The results o
btained were characteristic of each immobilized strain. The membrane w
ith a mixture of microorganisms from the strains Agrobacterium radioba
cter, Staphylococcus seiuri and Pseudomonas diminuta immobilized on it
s surface appeared to be the most effective. The coefficients of pheno
l and cyanide biodegradation were 36 and 20.3%, respectively. (C) 1998
Elsevier Science Ltd.