EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR MODULATING MICROBIAL CONSORTIA

The present invention refers to the fields of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology, being related to Energy Conservation and Waste Management. More specifically, the present invention provides an equipment and a method for on-site and ex-situ modulation of microbial consortia useful in liquid and semi-solid effluents or solid waste treatment systems, for removing and/or reusing undesirable organic or inorganic loads. The equipment of the invention consists of a main cultivation tank or a liquid body provided with an ex-situ subsystem for modulating microbial consortia for subsequent or concomitant introduction into the main cultivation tank or reactor or into the liquid body. In one embodiment, the on-site and ex-situ process of the invention is implemented in a culture equipment with controlled conditions for introducing the microorganism-enriched material into the effluent or solid waste to be treated, in the form of pre-cultivation and/or co-cultivation. In another embodiment, the ex-situ subsystem of the invention comprises a device for forming gas/air bubbles in a liquid suitable for applying a shearing force to the microorganisms present in the subsystem, and also useful for modulating the microbial consortia in a main cultivation tank or a liquid body. The invention substantially enhances the performance of effluent treatment systems, increasing the capacity of already installed units and/or reducing the cost of installation of new units; it allows the use of effluents as biomass for the biotransformation and generation of products of economic interest.