Microbial abatement of toluene using Aspergillus niger in upflow bioreactor

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 2016-12, Vol.134 (Pt 2), p.370-376
• Main Authors: Gopinath, M., Mohanapriya, C., Sivakumar, K., Baskar, G., Muthukumaran, C., Dhanasekar, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - metabolism; Air Pollution; Aspergillus niger; Aspergillus niger - metabolism; Biodegradation, Environmental; Bioreactors; Coir; Kinetics; Lignin - analogs & derivatives; Microbial abatement; Models, Theoretical; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sewage - microbiology; Toluene; Toluene - metabolism; Volatile Organic Compounds - metabolism
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2015.09.015

Microbial abatement of toluene using Aspergillus niger in coir packed upflow bioreactor was investigated in this study. Toluene degrading microbes were isolated from municipal sewage effluent and identified by 16s rRNA sequencing method. The microbes were cultured in 2% (v/v) toluene input per day, which exhibited 95% removal efficiency with the kinetic correction value (R2) of 0.9024 at the optimum flow rate of about 0.4m3h−1. Various parameters such as effect of flow rate, column height, elimination capacity and EBRT with removal efficiency for 50 day cycle were also optimized. The plug flow model for toluene degradation was properly expressed and the Monod kinetics constant Km and rmax values were determined as 2.25gm−3 and 67.773gm−3h−1 respectively for microbial growth rate. •Microbial abatement of toluene was studied using A. niger in coir packed biofilter.•Toluene degrading fungus was isolated from municipal sewage effluent.•The screened microbes were sequenced by 16s rRNA.•The upflow packed bed reactor was adopted to study the kinetics.•Plug flow model and monod kinetics were properly expressed with 95% efficiency.