title: Preliminary acclimation strategies for successful startup in conventional biofilters.
abstract: The question of how to obtain the best inocula for conventional biofilters arises when an acclimation/adaptation procedure is to be applied. Bearing in mind that no standardized procedure for acclimating inocula exists, certain preliminary strategies for obtaining an active inoculum from wastewater treatment sludge are proposed in this work. Toluene was the contaminant to be degraded. Concerning the prior separation of sludge phases, no obvious advantage was found in separating the supernatant phase of the sludge before acclimation. As far as a continuous or discontinuous acclimation mode is concerned, the latter is recommended for rapidly obtaining acclimated sludge samples by operating the system for no longer than 1 month. The continuous mode rendered similar degradation rates, although it required longer operating time. Nevertheless, the great advantage of the continuous system lay in the absence of daily maintenance and the ready availability of the activated sample.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of the Basque Country, Faculty of Engineering, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elías
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barona
authors.forename: Gorka
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gallastegi
authors.forename: Naiara
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rojo
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gurtubay
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ibarra-Berastegi
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012722:Sewage; D014462:Ultrafiltration / Q000379:methods*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D014873:Water Pollutants; D002244:Carbon