Effect of cellulose as co-substrate on old landfill leachate treatment using white-rot fungi. (October 2017) - Bardi, A.
Graphical abstract: Highlights: Old LFL treatment with B. adusta was investigated through batch and continuous tests. B. adusta produced MnP with cellulose, glucose, and malt as co-substrates. Irregular co-substrate dosages significantly increased COD and sCOD removal. COD removals of 63% and 51% were achieved with glucose and cellulose, respectively. sCOD removals of 53% and 51% were achieved with glucose and cellulose, respectively. Abstract: Conventional wastewater treatment technologies are ineffective for remediation of old LandFill Leachate (LFL), and innovative approaches to achieve satisfactory removal of this recalcitrant fraction are needed. This study focused on old LFL treatment with a selected fungal strain, Bjerkandera adusta MUT 2295, through batch and continuous tests, using packed-bed bioreactors under non-sterile conditions. To optimize the process performance, diverse types of co-substrates were used, including milled cellulose from beverage cups waste material. Extracellular enzyme production was assayed, in batch tests, as a function of a) cellulose concentration, b) leachate initial Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Soluble COD (sCOD), and c) co-substrate type. Bioreactors were dosed with an initial start-up of glucose (Rg) or cellulose (Rc). An additional glucose dosage was provided in both reactors, leading to significant performance increases. The highest COD and sCOD removals were i) 63% and 53% in Rg and ii) 54% and 51% in Rc.