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. 2022 Jul 25;14(15):3010.
doi: 10.3390/polym14153010.

Innovative Coating-Etching Method of Biocarrier Fabrication for Treating Wastewater with a Low C/N Ratio

Ning Yu  1 , Daijun Zhang  1   2 , Yu Lei  1 , Jianhui Wang  3 , Yang Dong  1 , Youpeng Chen  4
Affiliations

Innovative Coating-Etching Method of Biocarrier Fabrication for Treating Wastewater with a Low C/N Ratio

Ning Yu et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

A novel method was used to fabricate the bio-carrier with both a high specific surface area and good compatibility. The results of monitoring the growth of biofilms at a low C/N ratio (0.83) showed that resulting carrier-PLA-cavity offered certain advantages for biofilm growth by providing an appropriate microenvironment for bacterial growth in wastewater treatment. The biofilm on carrier-PLA-cavity grew and updated faster than the naked-carrier. The biomass and thickness of biofilms growing on carrier-PLA-cavity were 10 kg/m3 and 500 μm, respectively. From the wastewater tests, 90% of the total nitrogen was removed via simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) by the biofilm biomass attached to carrier-PLA-cavity, compared to 68% for the naked-carrier. The COD removal efficiency values of the carrier-PLA-cavity and naked-carrier were 94% and 86%, respectively. The microbial community analysis of carrier biofilms showed that Halomonas was the most abundant genus, and heterotrophic nitrification and denitrification were responsible for nitrogen removal in both reactors. Notably, this method does not require any complicated equipment or structural design. This novel method might be a promising strategy for fabricating biocarriers for treating wastewater with a low C/N ratio.

Keywords: biodegradable polymers; biofilm; nitrate removal; solid carbon source; wastewater treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of the sequencing biofilm batch reactor.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic diagram of Carrier-PLA-Cavity.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Surface appearance of samples observed: (a) naked-carrier, (b) carrier-PLA, and (c) carrier-PLA-cavity (optical microscopy, 200× magnification).
Figure 4
Figure 4
SEM of biofilm attached to carriers: (a) Naked-carrier, (b) Carrier-PLA-cavity.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Growth trend of biofilms of Naked-carrier and Carrier-PLA-Cavity.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Biomass formed on the different carriers: Carrier-PLA-Cavity and Naked-Carrier, respectively.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The thickness of biofilms attached to different carriers: Carrier-PLA-Cavity and Naked-Carrier, respectively.
Figure 8
Figure 8
COD removal efficiency (RE) for Carrier-PLA-Cavity and Naked-Carrier.
Figure 9
Figure 9
TN removal efficiency for Carrier-PLA-Cavity and Naked-Carrier.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Bacterial community composition at phylum level (a) and genus level (b).
Figure 11
Figure 11
SEM of used carriers: (a) Naked-carrier, (b) Carrier-PLA-cavity.
Figure 12
Figure 12
NH4+-N removal effect for Carrier-PLA-Cavity and Naked-Carrier.
Figure 13
Figure 13
NO3−-N removal effect for Carrier-PLA-Cavity and Naked-Carrier.
Figure 14
Figure 14
The rSND for Carrier-PLA-Cavity and Naked-Carrier during the reaction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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