Phenol biodegradation in hybrid hollow-fiber membrane bioreactors

Hollow-fiber membrane bioreactors were developed with granular activated carbon (GAC) for the biodegradation of phenol using Pseudomonas putida. Hollow fibers showed similar structure with/without GAC incorporated; while GAC hollow fiber had a stronger phenol adsorption capacity. In batch biotransformation experiments, complete depletion of 1000 mg phenol l⁻¹ (at which concentration free cells cannot grow) was accomplished in the reactor within 18 h in the hybrid bioreactor, comparing with 23 h in the GAC free bioreactor. Desorption and bioregeneration of the hollow-fiber membrane were believed to be the key for the enhancement of bioreactor performance. At continuous running, the GAC bioreactor showed its superiority over the GAC free bioreactor during start-up and elevated loading phase. More than 90% of the phenol was transformed in the GAC bioreactor when the phenol loading was <24 mg h⁻¹. The better bioreactor performance may be due to the enhanced mass transportation and adsorption capacity with the incorporation of GAC.