A novel biotechnology based on periphytic biofilms with N-acyl-homoserine-lactones stimulation and lanthanum loading for phosphorus recovery

Ying Xu, Philip G Kerr, Jan Dolfing, Bruce E. Rittmann, Yonghong Wu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)
22 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study presents an approach for developing periphytic biofilm with N-acyl-homoserine-lactones (AHLs) stimulation and lanthanum (La, a rare earth element) loading, to achieve highly efficient and stable phosphorus (P) recovery from wastewater. AHLs stimulated biofilm growth and formation, also improved stable P entrapment by enhancing extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production and optimizing P-entrapment bacterial communities. Periphytic biofilms loading La is based on ligand exchanges, and La loading achieved initial rapid P entrapment by surface adsorption. The combination of AHLs stimulation and La loading achieved 99.0% P entrapment. Interestingly, the enhanced EPS production stimulated by AHLs protected biofilms against La. Moreover, a method for P and La separately recovery from biofilms was developed, achieving 89-96% of P and 88-93% of La recovery. This study offers a promising biotechnology to reuse La from La-rich wastewater and recover P by biofilm doped with La, which results in a win-win situation for resource sustainability.
Original languageEnglish
Article number126421
Pages (from-to)1-8
Number of pages8
JournalBioresource Technology
Volume347
Early online date25 Nov 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2022

Keywords

  • Periphytic biofilm
  • Phosphorus recovery
  • Lanthanum loading
  • N-acyl-homoserine-lactones

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A novel biotechnology based on periphytic biofilms with N-acyl-homoserine-lactones stimulation and lanthanum loading for phosphorus recovery'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this