Applications of Controlled Pore Inert Materials as Immobilizing Surfaces for Microbial Consortia in Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Bioprocess technology, in the form of immobilized cells and organelles, is rapidly coming to the forefront in the third industrial revolution, as the platform upon which new “biotech” industries will be based. The number of organic compounds introduced into the environment by humans has increased dramatically in recent years (Pfaender and Bartholomew, 1982). As a consequence of this xenobiotic, i.e., man-made, pollution, the fate of these compounds, such as pesticides, in the environment is an important issue. Of particular concern is disappearance, persistence, and/or partial transformation of such compounds and their potential hazardous effect. While many are readily biodegradable, others have proven to be recalcitrant and persistent in soil and water. In recent years, a great deal of research has been done on the biochemistry and genetics of toxicant-degrading microorganisms. Both the newer literature on biotechnology, and the older literature on industrial microbiology, describe commercial processes in which microorganisms play important roles. Although some bacteria can cause adverse effects, most species are benign, and many are involved in processes of direct benefit to man.