A tanks-in-series bioreactor to simulate macromolecule-laden wastewater pretreatment under sewer conditions by Aspergillus niger

Sewers are typically a means of transporting wastewater to a treatment facility, with little biotransformation of the soluble polymeric organic matter by suspended biomass. In the interest of providing an effective pretreatment of wastewater in a sewer network, it is necessary to design an accurate tool simulating sewer conditions and introduce an appropriate biomass for macromolecular pollutant degradation. Such a model reactor was built using a tanks-in-series design and the degradation of a polysaccharide (starch) by Aspergillus niger MUCL 28817 was studied. Starch degradation and the accumulation of intermediates (hydrolysis fragments) in the individual reactors were quantified under transient conditions, at a mean hydraulic residence time of 17 h. Starch was degraded by 90% in this reactor system and an accumulation of oligosaccharides with molecular weight lower than 1,000 Da was observed. These results may be helpful in the development of wastewater treatment in sewers and in the alleviation of the burden on undersized wastewater treatment systems.