Development of mixed anaerobic culture for degrading high concentrations of chlorophenols

Abstract

This study details the development of mixed anaerobic culture capable of degrading high concentrations of chlorophenols; 4-chlorophenol (MCP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were used for that purpose. The role of glucose concentration and the relative potential of mixed culture for acclimatization of different chlorophenols under anaerobic conditions were studied. Methane production, pH and their reduction in concentrations of glucose and chlorophenols were measured at regular intervals. It was observed that after 350 days of acclimatization, anaerobic cultures degraded up to 200 ppm MCP, 200 ppm DCP and 250 ppm PCP. It was also found that the biogenic substrate such as glucose increased the rate of chlorophenols acclimatization and degradation.