Development of biohybridmaterials as expendable element of biofilters for wastewater treatment

D.G. Fedoseeva, O.A. Kanamina, O.N. Ponamoreva

Tula state University

Biological wastewater treatment of industrial enterprises is used to remove dissolved organic contaminantssuch as methanol. This purification couldbe carried out, for example, inside special constructions - the biofilters. However, the disadvantage of this method is the need ofconstantbiomaterialexcessremoving from the aeration system, as well as devastating effectof alcohols contained in the wastewateron the microorganisms. To overcome these shortcomings the immobilization of microorganisms in heterogeneous biocatalystscould be used. The technical solution of such processes couldbe simplifiedin comparison with processes based on biocatalysts, representing free cells. However, there are problems associated with unstable operation of immobilized microorganisms in known heterogeneous biocatalysts. Therefore, the development of new ones, which would protect microorganisms from the effects of stress factors.

One of the modern approaches to get new biohybrid materials on the basis of immobilized microorganisms is the creation of protective capsules around the cells to provide resistance to damaging factors, such as mechanical, thermal and biological effects.

The work studied the possibility of using biohybrid materials based on methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha VKM Y-2559 encapsulated in organosilicate polymers as the basis of the biofilter for disposal methanol-containing drains. Since these microorganisms are characterized by efficient enzyme system for the oxidation of alcohols,it has been suggested that their immobilization by Sol-gel method should not result in the loss of activity of cells under the action of alcohol generated in the process of condensation,and they will be able to effectively oxidize methanol-containingwastewater of chemical production.

Developed biohybrid on the basis of encapsulated microbial cells was used to create a biofilter that could potentially be used for wastewater treatment in static mode. The column filled with glass beads with a diameter of 3.3 ± 0.3 mm, covered by a heterogeneous biocatalyst (column diameter 0.7 cm, length 15 cm), was usedto clean methanol-containingdrains in the dynamic mode, the transmission rate was 0.1 cm³·min^-1.Thus, the developed heterogeneous biocatalyst-based encapsulated in sol-gel matrix methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha BKM Y-2559 can effectively function as a stationary phase of the column formethanol-containingeffluent cleaning(oxidation capacity of resulting biofilter was 3000 g·m^-3·day^-1, 8 cycles per day). Thus, the technology forproducingbiohybrid material, based onmethylotrophic yeast,encapsulated in sol-gel matrix,allowed us to develop a new approach to the creation of biofilters for methanol-containing wastewater disposal.

The work was supported by the Ministry of education GP No. 1764