title: Kinetics of carbendazim degradation in a horizontal tubular biofilm reactor.
abstract: The fungicide carbendazim is an ecotoxic agent affecting aquatic biota. Due to its suspected hormone-disrupting effects, it is considered a "priority hazard substance" by the Water Framework Directive of the European Commission, and its degradation is of major concern. In this work, a horizontal tubular biofilm reactor (HTBR) operating in plug-flow regime was used to study the kinetics of carbendazim removal by an acclimated microbial consortium. The reactor was operated in steady state continuous culture at eight different carbendazim loading rates. The concentrations of the fungicide were determined at several distances of the HTBR. At the loading rates tested, the highest instantaneous removal rates were observed in the first section of the tubular biofilm reactor. No evidence of inhibition of the catabolic activity of the microbial community was found. Strains of the genera Flectobacillus, Klebsiella, Stenotrophomonas, and Flavobacterium were identified in the biofilm; the last three degrade carbendazim in axenic culture.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, ENCB, México, Mexico.
authors.forename: María Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Alvarado-Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, ENCB, México, Mexico. noraruizordaz@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Ordaz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, ENCB, México, Mexico. juvenciogm@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Juvencio
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-7294
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Galíndez-Mayer
authors.affiliation: Central de Instrumentación de Espectroscopia, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, ENCB, México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Fortunata
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santoyo-Tepole
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, ENCB, México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Everardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Curiel-Quesada
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Cinvestav, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Mena
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, ENCB, México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Deifilia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ahuatzi-Chacón
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000378:metabolism*; D019149:Bioreactors; D002219:Carbamates / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D059013:Microbial Consortia
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D002219:Carbamates; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; C006698:carbendazim
keywords: Biofilm; Carbendazim; Reaction kinetics; Tubular bioreactor