Phenanthrene removal from soil washing eluent by Bacillus subtilis embedded in alginate-carboxymethyl...

The processes of surfactant-enhanced soil washing have been widely applied to the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil, accompanied by the production of soil washing eluent. In this study, novel composite materials of beads containing alginate, carboxymethyl cellulose and diatomite (SCD) were used to encapsulate Bacillus subtilis to remove phenanthrene (PHE) from simulated soil washing eluent with rhamnolipid. The effects of dosage, pH and temperature on the PHE removal performance were explored, and the optimal PHE removal conditions [SCD bead dose 16.2% (w:v), pH 7.1 and 30.6°C] were determined using response surface methodology. After incubation in simulated soil washing eluent for 7 d, SCD beads removed 84.92% of PHE, which was 49.18% higher than by free bacteria. In addition, SCD beads mainly removed PHE through biodegradation processes, and the degradation rate (1.38 mg L^-1 d^-1) was higher than that of free bacteria (0.64 mg L^-1 d^-1). Characterization results revealed that the immobilized substrate provided the micro-environment for bacteria and reduced the intense effect of high rhamnolipid concentration. Reusability results showed that SCD beads could be recycled four times to remove 80.05% of PHE. Collectively, SCD beads have great prospects for the decontamination of soil-washing eluent containing complex components.