Continuous decolourization of a sugar refinery wastewater in a modified rotating biological contactor with Phanerochaete chrysosporium immobilized on polyurethane foam disks

Abstract Phanerochaete chrysosporium immobilized on different support materials, such as polyurethane foam (PUF) and scouring web (SW), in shake cultures, was able to decolourize efficiently the sugar refinery effluent in a long-term repeated-batch operation. The decolourization medium composition was optimized using PUF-immobilized fungus. Addition of glucose was obligatory and the minimum glucose concentration was found to be 5 g/l. A rotating biological contactor (RBC) containing P. chrysosporium immobilized on PUF disks was operated with optimized decolourization medium, in continuous mode with a retention time of 3 days. By simply reversing the feed inlet of the reactor, after 17 days of operation, it was possible to double the active fungal lifetime. During the course of operation the colour, total phenols and chemical oxygen demand were reduced by 55, 63 and 48%, respectively.