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Feasibility Study of Removing Emerging Pollutants Using Mold in a Bioreactor

Tahmasebi Boldaji, Hamid | 2025

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 58831 (06)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Borghei, Mehdi; Yaghmaei, Soheila; Ghobadi Nejad, Zahra
  7. Abstract:
  8. The rising consumption of pharmaceuticals and the dissemination of active pharmaceutical ingredients in aquatic environments necessitate the development of efficient and sustainable technologies for the removal of emerging contaminants. This study evaluates the feasibility of a biological treatment approach based on the white-rot fungies Trametes sp. immobilized on natural supports for the remediation of pharmaceutical pollutants. The investigation was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, bench-scale (Erlenmeyer) experiments were performed to assess fungal compatibility and to screen potential lignocellulosic supports, including sunflower seed hulls, almond skins, walnut skins, and pistachio shells. Results from phase I showed that tetracycline was removed up to 100 percrnt at 5 and 10 ppm, ofloxacin was degraded by up to 90 percent on certain supports, and caffeine removal reached 100 percent on several tested supports. Based on these preliminary outcomes, pistachio shell was selected as the carrier material for fungal immobilization in a trickling fixed-bed bioreactor. Bioreactor tests targeted caffeine at 30 ppm and were conducted at two flow rates (1/5 and 2/5 L/h). Over a 7-day operation, the fungies-colonized pistachio shells achieved approximately 70 percent and 74 percent caffeine removal at 1/5 and 2/5 L/h, respectively. Overall, the results indicate that using agricultural residues as low-cost, environmentally compatible supports in combination with fungal biofilms offers a practical and reliable strategy for removing recalcitrant pharmaceutical compounds from wastewater. This approach appears particularly promising for feasibility studies and the development of semi-industrial treatment systems
  9. Keywords:
  10. Emerging Pollutants ; Biological Treatment ; Bioreactor ; Molds ; Enzymatic Biodegradation ; Trametes Species Mold ; Emerging Pollutants Degradation

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