Abstract
Organic pollutants, like phenol, along with heavy metals, like chromium, are present in various industrial effluents that pose serious health hazard to humans. The present study looked at removal of chromium (VI) in presence of phenol in a counter-current continuous packed bed reactor packed with E. coli cells immobilized on clay chips. The cells removed 85% of 500 mg/L of chromium (VI) from MS media containing glucose. Glucose was then replaced by 500 mg/L phenol. Temperature and pH of the MS media prior to addition of phenol were 30°C and 7, respectively. Hydraulic retention times of phenol- and chromium (VI)-containing synthetic media and air flow rates were varied to study the removal efficiency of the reactor system. Then temperature conditions of the reactor system were varied from 10°C to 50°C, the optimum being 30°C. The pH of the media was varied from pH 1 to pH 12, and the optimum pH was found to be 7. The maximum removal efficiency of 77.7% was achieved for synthetic media containing phenol and chromium (VI) in the continuous reactor system at optimized conditions, namely, hydraulic retention time at 4.44 hr, air flow rate at 2.5 lpm, temperature at 30°C, and pH at 7.
Highlights
Environmental pollution due to structured and unstructured industrial growth and inadequate effluent treatment due to lack of awareness and insufficient treatment facility has become a serious health hazard in the world [1, 2]
The three bacterial strains constituting the mixed bacterial consortium identified by 16rRNA analysis were found to be Psychrobacter sp., Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli exhibited highest rate of phenol degradation (Figure 2) and was selected for further studies to measure its potential as a multiple toxic substance remover, in this case chromium (VI), in presence of phenol
Summary
Environmental pollution due to structured and unstructured industrial growth and inadequate effluent treatment due to lack of awareness and insufficient treatment facility has become a serious health hazard in the world [1, 2]. Fresh water bodies are contaminated with different types of pollutants both organic and inorganic. One of the leading organic pollutants in water bodies is the phenolic compounds and the untreated metals, like chromium, which were another source of prolific water pollution. Chromium (VI) dichromates, compounds Cr2O7−2) [3]. (as are in chromates, CrO4−, and mostly water soluble and are extremely toxic to human. It causes severe health hazards like allergic reactions, respiratory disorder, diarrhea, stomach and intestinal bleedings, cramps, and liver and kidney damage
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