Recalcitrant Compounds Removal In Raw Leachate And Synthetic Mixtures Using Bjerkandera Adusta

Recalcitrant compounds represent one of the major problems in wastewater treatment since biological processes, based on bacterial degradation, are not suitable for their removal. Recently, the capability of white-rot fungi (WRF) in transforming recalcitrant pollutants generated a significant interest among bio-based industries. This study focused on the treatment of 3 effluents with the white-rot fungus Bjerkandera adusta MUT 2295 in batch tests. The fungal strain B. adusta MUT 2295 was selected during a previous decolourisation experiment due to its ability to act towards a raw leachate sample (Italy). Treatment efficiency of B. adusta was evaluated on a) landfill leachate deriving from Brady Road landfill in Canada and b) two solutions containing synthetic recalcitrant compounds prepared with 1) tannic and 2) humic acid. Different parameters such as the pH of the treated effluent, its chemical oxygen demand (COD) and glucose consumption of B. adusta during the treatment were monitored for 10 days of fungal treatment. COD removal was up to 48%, 61% and 48% in in raw leachate and the two synthetic solutions containing tannic and humic acids. Moreover, leachate color removal between 25% and 49% was achieved after 1 week of treatment. Results obtained encourage further investigations on the use of the selected white-rot fungus as potentially suitable for the treatment of the tested recalcitrant compounds.