Treatment of phenolics containing synthetic wastewater in an internal loop airlift bioreactor (ILALR) using indigenous mixed strain of Pseudomonas sp. under continuous mode of operation

The scope of this study is to evaluate the performance of internal loop airlift bioreactor (ILALR) in treating synthetic wastewater containing phenol and m-cresol, in single and multi component systems. The microbe utilized in the process was an indigenous mixed strain of Pseudomonas sp. isolated from a wastewater treatment plant. The reactor was operated at both lower and higher hydraulic retention times (HRTs) i.e., 4.1 and 8.3 h, respectively, by providing an inlet feed flow rate of 5 and 10 mL/min. Shock loading experiments were also performed up to a maximum concentration of 800 mg/L for phenol at 8.3 h HRT and 500 mg/L for m-cresol at 4.1 h HRT. The study showed complete degradation of both phenol and m-cresol, when they were degraded individually at a HRT of 8.3 h. Experiments with both phenol and m-cresol present as mixtures were performed based on the 22 full factorial design of experiments.