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Potentiality of a ceramic membrane reactor for the laccase-catalyzed removal of bisphenol A from secondary effluents

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

In this study, the removal of bisphenol A (BPA) by laccase in a continuous enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) was investigated. The effects of key parameters, namely, type of laccase, pH, and enzyme activity, were initially evaluated. Once optimal conditions were determined, the continuous removal of the pollutant in an EMR was assessed in synthetic and real biologically treated wastewaters. The reactor configuration consisted of a stirred tank reactor coupled to a ceramic membrane, which prevented the sorption of the pollutant and allowed the recovery and recycling of laccase. Nearly complete removal of BPA was attained under both operation regimes with removal yields above 94.5 %. In experiments with real wastewater, the removal of BPA remained high while the presence of colloids and certain ions and the formation of precipitates on the membrane potentially affected enzyme stability and made necessary the periodic addition of laccase. Polymerization and degradation were observed as probable mechanisms of BPA transformation by laccase.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN, CTQ2013-44762-R). The authors belong to the Galician Competitive Research Group GRC 2013-032, program co-funded by FEDER. Adriana Arca thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education for the FPU grant AP2010-2086. Gemma Eibes thanks the Xunta de Galicia for her postdoctoral grant (I2C Program).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    A. Arca-Ramos, G. Eibes, G. Feijoo, J. M. Lema & M. T. Moreira

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  1. A. Arca-Ramos
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  2. G. Eibes
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  3. G. Feijoo
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  4. J. M. Lema
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  5. M. T. Moreira
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Correspondence to A. Arca-Ramos.

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Arca-Ramos, A., Eibes, G., Feijoo, G. et al. Potentiality of a ceramic membrane reactor for the laccase-catalyzed removal of bisphenol A from secondary effluents. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99, 9299–9308 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6826-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6826-4

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