Title: Surfactant biodegradation in batch reactors with aspergillus niger AN400

Authors: Glória Marinho; F. Reinaldo Cavalcante; Renata Brasil Silveira; Luciana Pereira; Bárbara Barbosa; Kelly Rodrigues

Addresses: Instituto Federal do Ceará-Campus Fortaleza (IFCE), Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil ' Instituto Federal do Ceará-Campus Fortaleza (IFCE), Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil ' Instituto Federal do Ceará-Campus Fortaleza (IFCE), Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil ' Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB), Minho University, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal ' Federal Institute of Education (IFMA), Science and Technology of Maranhão, Av. Colares Moreira, 477 - Jardim Renascenca, São Luís - MA, 65075-441, Brasil ' Instituto Federal do Ceará-Campus Fortaleza (IFCE), Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil

Abstract: The wide production and use of the surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) has severe effects on the environment and, consequently on human health. This study sought to evaluate the efficiency of the species aspergillus niger AN400 on LAS removal, in reactors operated in batch mode. Three reactors were operated for 30 days with the following configuration: a control reactor without A. niger AN400 (CR) and two reactors with A. niger AN400, one of each supplemented with 1 mg L⁻¹ of glucose (ANGR) and one without the co-substrate (ANR). LAS was tested in the concentrations of 15 and 30 mg L⁻¹. LAS removal efficiencies 51% in ANR and 76% ANGR, for the initial concentration of LAS of 15 mg L⁻¹, and 55% in ANR and 65% in ANGR, for 30 mg L⁻¹ of LAS.

Keywords: aspergillus niger; biodegradation; glucose; linear alkylbenzene sulphonate; surfactants.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2019.100659

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2019 Vol.24 No.1, pp.81 - 92

Received: 09 Jun 2018
Accepted: 25 Oct 2018
Published online: 06 Jul 2019 *

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