Degradation of Phenolic Compounds in Coal Gasification Wastewater by Biofilm Reactor with Isolated Klebsiella sp.

This study was conducted to evaluate the degradation of phenolic compounds by one strain isolated from coal gasification wastewater (CGW). 16S rRNA gene sequences homology and phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolate is belonged to the genus Klebsiella sp. The effect of different phenolic compounds on the isolate was investigated by determining OD₆₀₀ and phenoloxidase activity, of which the results showed that the isolate can utilize phenol, 4-methyl phenol, 3,5-dimethyl phenol and resorcinol as carbon resources. The biofilm reactor (formed by the isolate) can resist the influent concentration of phenolic compounds as high as 750 mg/L when fed with synthetic CGW and incubated at optimum conditions. The capacity of improving the biodegradability of CGW through degrading phenolic compounds was testified with fed the biofilm reactor with real CGW. Thus, it might be an effective strain for bioaugmentation of CGW treatment.