Abstract
This study describes the capacity of different sorbents to form stable biofilms under highly hydrocarbon-polluted conditions and the degrading capacity of the microbiota present in the biofilm. With this aim, microcosms were designed in a 1 L beaker with 400 mL of culture medium or polluted wastewater and an amount equivalent of 200 mL of the selected sorbent carrier, made of cork and/or polypropylene meltblown. The culturable bacteria adhered to the sorbent carrier were quantified, and the time course of the hydrocarbon concentration was studied together with the formation of a biofilm on the carrier’s surface. The results revealed a different performance of the carriers in terms of bacterial adhesion, significantly reduction in the hydrocarbon content in water at the end of the assays, and a biofilm tolerance to high hydrocarbon concentration in the polluted water. From these results, it was concluded that the use of a sorbent, hydrophobic cork, or meltblown polypropylene, together with indigenous microbiota, constitutes a promising technology for the treatment of hydrocarbon-polluted water.
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Acknowledgements
This research has been supported by Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos S.A. and by the Environmental Microbiology Research Group RNM270 of the University of Granada, Spain. We acknowledge Mr. David Nesbitt for improving the English in the manuscript.
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Rodríguez-Calvo, A., Silva-Castro, G.A., Robledo-Mahón, T. et al. Capacity of Hydrophobic Carriers to Form Biofilm for Removing Hydrocarbons from Polluted Industrial Wastewater: Assay in Microcosms. Water Air Soil Pollut 229, 175 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-018-3826-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-018-3826-x