Bacterial consortium biotransformation of pentachlorophenol contaminated wastewater

The aims of this study were (i) to compare PCP removal (100 mg L −1 ) by two bacterial consortia B 1 and B 2 in sterile wastewater (STWW) and liquid mineral medium (MSM), (ii) PCP effect in biofilm formation and antimicrobial susceptibility. PCP removal was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) during 168 h at 30 °C. Biofilm formation was assessed with two approaches: Congo Red Agar and Microtiter-plate. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the agar disc diffusion technique. The results showed that the PCP removal for consortium B 1 and B 2 after 168 h was 70 and 97.5% in STWW; 62.2 and 85.5% in MSM, respectively. In addition, PCP addition showed an increase in biofilm development especially for B 2 consortium around 3.5 nm in 100 mg L −1 PCP. PCP added in the Muller Hinton (MH) medium and Gentamicin disc showed a clear increase in diameter of cell lysis around 2 to 4.5 cm. Graphical abstract