title: Long-term impact of salinity on the performance and microbial population of an aerobic granular reactor treating a high-strength aromatic wastewater.
abstract: The effect of salinity over granular biomass treating a mixture of aromatic compounds (phenol, o-cresol and p-nitrophenol) was evaluated in a continuous airlift reactor. To mimic an industrial wastewater, increasing concentrations (from 2.0 to 29.0 g salts L(-1)) of a mixture of salts (MgSO4, NaCl, KCl, CaCl2 and NaHCO3) were introduced in the influent. The gradual salinity increase led to a good acclimation of the biomass obtaining complete biodegradation of the aromatic compounds and no accumulation of metabolic intermediates. However, a deterioration of the morphology of aerobic granules with a complete loss of granulation after 125 days was produced at 29.0 g salts L(-1). At that moment, anaerobic granules were added to promote granulation and after 50 days new aerobic granules were formed. These new aerobic granules remained stable for more than 100 days at the highest salinity condition with 100% removal of the mixture of aromatic compounds.
authors.affiliation: GENOCOV Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici Q, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: GENOCOV Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici Q, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: María Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Suárez-Ojeda
authors.affiliation: GENOCOV Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici Q, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: julian.carrera@uab.cat.
authors.forename: Julián
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carrera
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D054712:Salinity; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010636:Phenols; D012492:Salts; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Aerobic granulation; Devosia genus; Phenolic compounds; Salts; Sphingobium genus