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Activated carbon and synthetic resins as support material for methanogenic phenol‐degrading consortia—Comparison of phenol‐degrading activities
Author(s) -
Kindzierski Warren B.,
Fedorak Phillip M.,
Gray Murray R.,
Hrudey Steve E.
Publication year - 1995
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 - 10.2175/106143095x131259
Subject(s) - phenol , activated carbon , chemistry , population , biomass (ecology) , biodegradation , carbon fibers , adsorption , ion exchange resin , phenols , organic chemistry , nuclear chemistry , biology , materials science , ecology , demography , sociology , composite number , composite material
Serum bottle experiments were conducted to investigate the roles that activated carbon and two ion‐exchange resins performed as support material in methanogenic phenol‐degrading cultures. The consortium associated with activated carbon was able to degrade phenol that had been adsorbed to the carbon, demonstrating bioregeneration. Supernatant samples withdrawn from these cultures over a 90‐day period contained an active phenol‐degrading population, indicating that the colonized‐activated carbon continuously shed significant amounts of active biomass. The cation‐exchange resin did not serve as a suitable support material for microbial colonization. The anion‐exchange resin possessed the largest pore volume and sheltered surface area accessible to a microbial population. The phenol‐degrading activity of biomass associated with this resin continued to increase throughout the 85‐day incubation period. Supernatant withdrawn from these cultures was less efficient at removing phenol than the supernatant from the activated carbon‐containing cultures, suggesting that the consortium was still growing and being retained on the resin.