High efficiency removal of 2-chlorophenol from drinking water by a hydrogen-based polyvinyl chloride membrane biofilm reactor

A continuously stirred hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) hollow fiber membrane was investigated for removing 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) from contaminated drinking water. The bioreactor startup was achieved by acclimating the microorganisms from a denitrifying and sulfate-reducing MBfR to the drinking water contaminated by 2-CP. The effects of some major factors, including 2-CP loading, H2 pressure, nitrate loading, and sulfate loading, on the removal of 2-CP by the MBfR were systematically investigated. Although the effluent 2-CP concentration increased with its increasing influent loading, the removing efficiency of 2-CP by the MBfR could be up to 94.7% under a high influent loading (25.71 mg/L d). The removing efficiency of 2-CP by the MBfR could be improved by higher H2 pressure, and lower influent nitrate concentration and sulfate concentration. A high H2 pressure can assure enough available H2 as the electron donor for 2-CP degradation. The competition in the electron donor made nitrate and sulfate inhibit the degradation of 2-CP in the MBfR. The electron flux analyses indicated that the degradation of 2-CP only accounted for a small part of electron flux, and the autohydrogenotrophic bacteria in the MBfR were highly efficient for the 2-CP removal.