On the applicability of a hybrid bioreactor operated with polymeric tubing for the biological treatment of saline wastewater

Effective biological treatment of high salt content wastewater requires consideration of both salt and organic toxicity. This study treated a synthetic saline wastewater containing NaCl (100 g L− 1) and 2,4-dimethylphenol (1.2 g L− 1) with a hybrid system consisting of a biological reactor containing spiral-coiled polymeric tubing through which the mixed feed was pumped. The tubing wall was permeable to the organic contaminant, but not to the salt, which allowed transfer of the organic into the cell-containing bioreactor contents for degradation, while not exposing the cells to high salt concentrations. Different grades of DuPont Hytrel polymer were examined on the basis of organic affinity predictions and experimental partition and mass transfer tests. Hytrel G3548 tubing showed the highest permeability for 2,4-dimethylphenol while exerting an effective salt barrier, and was used to verify the feasibility of the proposed system. Very high organic removal (99% after just 5 h of treatment) and effective biodegradation of the organic fraction of the wastewater (> 90% at the end of the test) were observed. Complete salt separation from the microbial culture was also achieved.