Biodegradation of Paracetamol by Aerobic Granules in a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)

Abstract

Aerobic granules efficient at degrading paracetamol as the sole carbon and energy resource were successfully developed in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Aerobic granules were first observed about 220 days after reactor start-up. The images SEM showed the aerobic granules typically consisted of coccus and bacillus. Meanwhile, the size distribution of aerobic granules was analyzed on day 200. The result indicated that the granules eventually grew to become the dominant form of biomass in the reactor. The granular sludge on day 80 and 200 degraded paracetamol completely in 48 h and 28 h, respectively, indicating that granulation contributed to paracetamol degradation. The specific paracetamol degradation rate was observed to increase with increasing paracetamol initial concentration from 500 to 5000 mg/L, peaked at 1200 mg-MTBE/g-VSS·h, and declined with further increases in MTBE concentration as substrate inhibition effects became significant. This study demonstrates that paracetamol can be effectively degraded by aerobic granules and gives insight into the microorganisms potentially involved in the process.