A reusable immobilization matrix for the biodegradation of phenol at 5000 mg/L

Bacteria-mediated degradation of toxins has been reported as a practical technique for the innocuous removal of toxic organic compounds from water. Specifically, immobilized and pre-acclimatized Pseudomonas putida has been shown to clear low levels of contaminants (less than 2000 mg/L) from wastewater, wherein the bacteria consumes toxic aromatic compounds as the only source of carbon and energy. Here we report the preparation of a high-capacity composite adsorbent as an immobilization matrix for pre-acclimatized P. putida that is capable of complete degradation of 5000 mg/L of phenol within 80 hours. The composite adsorbent, a n-Butyl acrylate (BA)-resin evenly coated on polyester fiber (PF), can quickly reduce the phenol concentration to a level that is suitable for the immobilized bacteria to start the biodegradation process. Furthermore, the composite adsorbent (PF-BA) is regenerated during the biodegradation process without any additional manipulations, therefore it is reusable. As a whole, we provide a general strategy for more efficient biodegradation for phenol, which can be generalized to other water-soluble toxic organics removal for waste water treatment.