Simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyls using resuscitated strain Streptococcus sp. SPC0 immobilized in polyvinyl alcohol‑sodium alginate

Abstract

Enhanced bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is a promising and effective strategy for eliminating the risks posed by PCBs. In the present study, the feasibility of utilizing an immobilization approach to enhance the PCBs degradation performance of a resuscitated strain Streptococcus sp. SPC0 was evaluated. The results indicated that a mixed matrix containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) used as immobilized carriers provided a porous microstructure space for SPC0 colonization and proliferation. The enhanced removal of PCBs by immobilized SPC0 was attributed to simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation performances of PVA-SA-SPC0 beads. The relative equilibrium adsorption capacity of immobilized beads increased with elevated initial concentration, and the maximum theoretical value calculated was 1.64 mg/g. The adsorption process of PCBs by immobilized beads was well fitted to the quasi-second-order kinetic model, and most suitable for Langmuir isotherm model. Immobilized SPC0 enhanced PCB removal with 1.0–7.1 times higher than free cells. Especially, more effective removal of PCBs at higher concentrations could be achieved, in which 73.9 % of 20 mg/L PCBs was removed at 12 h by immobilized SPC0, whereas only 12.0 % by free cells. Moreover, the immobilized SPC0 with excellent stability and reusability retained almost 100 % of the original PCBs removal activity after reusing four times. These results revealed the application potential of immobilizing resuscitated strains for enhanced bioremediation of PCBs.