Activated Carbon and Synthetic Resins as Support Material for Methanogenic Phenol-Degrading Consortia: Comparison of Phenol-Degrading Activities

Serum bottle experiments were conducted to investigate the roles that activated carbon and two ion-exchange resins performed as support material in methanogenic phenol-degrading cultures. The consortium associated with activated carbon was able to degrade phenol that had been adsorbed to the carbon, demonstrating bioregeneration. Supernatant samples withdrawn from these cultures over a 90-day period contained an active phenol-degrading population, indicating that the colonized-activated carbon continuously shed significant amounts of active biomass. The cation-exchange resin did not serve as a suitable support material for microbial colonization. The anion-exchange resin possessed the largest pore volume and sheltered surface area accessible to a microbial population. The phenol-degrading activity of biomass associated with this resin continued to increase throughout the 85-day incubation period. Supernatant withdrawn from these cultures was less efficient at removing phenol than the supernatant from the activated carbon-containing cultures, suggesting that the consortium was still growing and being retained on the resin.