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Biodegradation and Metabolism of Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in the Bioaugmented Activated Sludge Batch Bioreactor System by Heterotrophic and Nitrifying Bacteria
Author(s) -
Islam Mohammad Showkatul,
Zhou Hongde,
Zytner Richard G.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143017x15131012152753
Subject(s) - biodegradation , bioreactor , activated sludge , tetrabromobisphenol a , bacillus pumilus , chemistry , environmental chemistry , nitrifying bacteria , wastewater , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , nitrification , environmental engineering , biology , environmental science , organic chemistry , fire retardant , nitrogen , genetics
Tetrabromobisphenol A [2,4′‐isopropylidenebis(2,6‐dibromophenol)] has been identified in wastewater samples collected from the Guelph municipal wastewater treatment plant (GWWTP). In order to assess the kinetics and metabolic mechanisms of the dissolved TBBPA, bench scale experiments were completed with batch bioreactors. The biodegradation test was conducted by taking aerobic sludge from the conventional activated sludge reactor (CAS) and membrane bioreactor (MBR), and bioaugmenting both reactors with soil based strains of Bacillus brevis and Bacillus pumilus . This novel biodegradation process showed that the CAS bioreactor had a biodegradation rate of 0.127 d −1 , while the sludge from the MBR had a biodegradation rate of 0.171 d −1 . This is the first reported aerobic biodegradation of TBBPA by heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria in an activated sludge bioreactor system. A tentative biotransformation metabolic scheme for TBBPA biodegradation and metabolite formation has been proposed as well.