Enhanced in situ bioremediation of phenol in bioestimulated unsaturated and saturated sand-bed columns.
Biodegradation of phenol was observed in unsaturated sandbed columns, in which phenol concentration declined from 298 mg phenol/kg sand to less than 1 mg/kg after 21 days. In saturated sand-bed columns, phenol concentration declined from 230 mg phenol/kg to less than 1 mg/kg after 37 days. Pseudo-first-order phenol biodegradation rates were in the range 0.25 days(-1) (R2 = 0.9) to 0.66 days(-1) (R2 = 0.85) and 0.08 days(-1) (R2 = 0.68) to 0.14 days(-1) (R2 = 0.84) in the unsaturated and saturated sand-bed columns, respectively. Unsaturated columns presented a higher biomass density (21.5 mg/g) in the sand-bed and lower biomass concentration in the aqueous phase (3.5 NTU) compared with the saturated columns (6.4 mg/g and 14.0 NTU). A high concentration of phenol releases in the sand-bed columns resulted in an initial inhibition of microbial activity and destabilization of the attached biomass.
Antizar-Ladislao
Blanca
B
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. b.antizar-ladislao@ucl.ac.uk
Galil
Noah I
NI
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D018533:Biomass; D019800:Phenol / Q000378:metabolism*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D019800:Phenol; D012822:Silicon Dioxide