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Efficient anaerobic treatment of synthetic textile wastewater in a UASB reactor with granular sludge enriched with humic acids supported on alumina nanoparticles

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Abstract

A novel technique to co-immobilize humus-reducing microorganisms and humic substances (HS), supported on γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles (NP), by a granulation process in an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor is reported in the present work. Larger granules (predominantly between 1 and 1.7 mm) were produced using NP coated with HS compared to those obtained with uncoated NP (mostly between 0.25 and 0.5 mm). The HS-enriched granular biomass was then tested for its capacity to achieve the reductive decolorization of the recalcitrant azo dye, reactive red 2 (RR2), in the same UASB reactor operated with a hydraulic residence time of 12 h and with glucose as electron donor. HS-enriched granules achieved higher decolorization and COD removal efficiencies, as compared to the control reactor operated in the absence of HS, in long term operation and applying high concentrations of RR2 (40–400 mg/L). This co-immobilizing technique could be attractive for its application in UASB reactors for the reductive biotransformation of several contaminants, such as nitroaromatics, poly-halogenated compounds, metalloids, among others.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (Grant SEP-CONACYT 155656) and by the Marcos Moshinsky Foundation. We thank the technical assistance of Dulce Partida, Guillermo Vidriales, Carmen Rocha and Héctor Amézquita.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. División de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICyT), Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4ª. Sección, C. P. 78216, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

    Francisco J. Cervantes & Claudia M. Martinez

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL), Av. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, 66451, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, Mexico

    Luis H. Alvarez

  3. Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Instituto Tecnológico de Aguascalientes, Av. Adolfo López Mateos No. 1801 Ote. Fracc. Bona Gens, 20256, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico

    Rafael Gómez & Virginia Hernandez-Montoya

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  1. Francisco J. Cervantes
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  2. Rafael Gómez
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  3. Luis H. Alvarez
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  4. Claudia M. Martinez
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  5. Virginia Hernandez-Montoya
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Correspondence to Francisco J. Cervantes.

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Cervantes, F.J., Gómez, R., Alvarez, L.H. et al. Efficient anaerobic treatment of synthetic textile wastewater in a UASB reactor with granular sludge enriched with humic acids supported on alumina nanoparticles. Biodegradation 26, 289–298 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-015-9734-5

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