Effects of Different Polymeric Materials on the Bacterial Attachment and Biofilm Formation in Anoxic Fixed-Bed Biofilm Reactors

Abstract

Six biofilm carriers with different polymer were studied in fixed-film systems under anoxic conditions. Different media of polymers influence wastewater treatment performance. The aim of this study was to investigate different polymeric materials, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polymethyl methacrylate (acrylic), that affect bacterial attachment and biofilm formation in biofilm-based wastewater treatment technologies. Water contact angle (WCA) measurement was employed to analyze the role of wetting (hydrophilic/hydrophobic) of polymeric material surfaces in the initial phase of bacterial attachment. The increase of biofilm formation during the observation was determined by gravimetric (total attached solid) and microscopic (SEM and CLSM) analysis. The results showed the value for WCA of PET < HDPE < PVC < PP < acrylic, which indicated that a higher hydrophilicity surface leads to a higher total attached solid (TAS), biofilm formation rate, and biofilm thickness on the surface of media. The hydrophilic material (i.e., PET and HDPE) demonstrated wastewater treatment performance better than slightly hydrophilic material (i.e., PVC, PP, and acrylic) under a steady-state period (over an 80-day operation). The data showed a positive correlation between hydrophilic material and COD, NH4+-N, and TP removal. Hydrophilic material was beneficial for a fast start-up and stable biofilm formation of a fixed-bed biofilm reactor. PET media showed feasible polymer types compared to HDPE, PVC, and PP; thus, it can be used as an alternative biofilm carrier media in a larger-scale application. The findings of this study highlighted the polymeric material type has a significant effect on the performance of fixed-bed wastewater treatment.

Application of Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor (SBBR) Using Microalgae Chorella sp. to Removal Nutrient in Grey Water

“…As for the comparison of the elimination efficiency ammonia levels with previous studies can be seen in Table 7. Table 7 shows that the ammonia removal efficiency in this study was higher than Rajput and Khambete [26] but lower than Setiyawan et al [27]. The ammonia removal efficiency in this study was higher than Rajput and Khambete due to the microalgae used in the research.…”

“…Microalgae use ammonia for photosynthesis with the help of sunlight so that they can increase their biomass [32]. Ammonia removal efficiency in this study was lower than Setiyawan et al [27] because the MBBR used a contact time of seven days and the bio carrier used had a wider surface than Kaldness 1 (K1).…”

Assessment of Potential Use of a Composite Based on Polyester Textile Waste as Packing Elements of a Trickle Bed Bioreactor

“…The wastewater treatment technology used is based on the formation of a biofilm on the surface of the packing elements of the bioreactor. The adhesion of microorganisms to the surface of the elements is crucial for the development of the biofilm [74]. The affinity of the surface of elements to the biofilm has an effect on the rate and degree of aggregation of microorganisms [20,75].…”

The Use of Polymeric Materials of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and Polypropylene (PP) as the media of Anaerobic-aerobic bioreactors in treating wastewater from the tofu industry

“…Plastics with hydrophilicity or well-wetted properties tend to increase initial adhesion and enrich the biofilm's start-up, and polymers with hydrophilic properties have high surface energy [24]. Several studies showed PET possesses higher surface energy than PVC, PP, and HDPE [29,30,31]. In addition, PET plastic has properties that are quite flexible or easy to assemble and then form a structure.…”