Synergic Adsorption–Biodegradation by an Advanced Carrier for Enhanced Removal of High-Strength Nitrogen and Refractory Organics
Type
ArticleAuthors
Ahmad, MuhammadLiu, Sitong
Mahmood, Nasir

Mahmood, Asif
Ali, Muhammad

Zheng, Maosheng
Ni, Jinren

KAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionWater Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)
Date
2017-04-06Online Publication Date
2017-04-06Print Publication Date
2017-04-19Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/623916
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Coking wastewater contains not only high-strength nitrogen but also toxic biorefractory organics. This study presents simultaneous removal of high-strength quinoline, carbon, and ammonium in coking wastewater by immobilized bacterial communities composed of a heterotrophic strain Pseudomonas sp. QG6 (hereafter referred as QG6), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and anaerobic ammonium oxidation bacteria (anammox). The bacterial immobilization was implemented with the help of a self-designed porous cubic carrier that created structured microenvironments including an inner layer adapted for anaerobic bacteria, a middle layer suitable for coaggregation of certain aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and an outer layer for heterotrophic bacteria. By coating functional polyurethane foam (FPUF) with iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), the biocarrier (IONPs-FPUF) could provide a good outer-layer barrier for absorption and selective treatment of aromatic compounds by QG6, offer a conducive environment for anammox in the inner layer, and provide a mutualistic environment for AOB in the middle layer. Consequently, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification were reached with the significant removal of up to 322 mg L (98%) NH, 311 mg L (99%) NO, and 633 mg L (97%) total nitrogen (8 mg L averaged NO concentration was recorded in the effluent), accompanied by an efficient removal of chemical oxygen demand by 3286 mg L (98%) and 350 mg L (100%) quinoline. This study provides an alternative way to promote synergic adsorption and biodegradation with the help of a modified biocarrier that has great potential for treatment of wastewater containing high-strength carbon, toxic organic pollutants, and nitrogen.Citation
Ahmad M, Liu S, Mahmood N, Mahmood A, Ali M, et al. (2017) Synergic Adsorption–Biodegradation by an Advanced Carrier for Enhanced Removal of High-Strength Nitrogen and Refractory Organics. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 9: 13188–13200. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b01251.Sponsors
The authors highly appreciate the National Science Foundation of China (no. 51539001) for providing financial support for this study.Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)Additional Links
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsami.7b01251ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1021/acsami.7b01251