Preparation of PolyHIPE beads and the application in bio-degradation of sulfate containing wastewater

Porous polymer support beads modified by a silicone resin with bifunctional groups were prepared by using High Internal Phase Emulsion (HIPE) templated method. Their surface properties and morphological characteristics were investigated. The effect of silicone resin content has been highlighted. When the content of the silicone resin was 30%, the support exhibited a relatively higher hydrophobicity (contact angle was 118.8°) and suitable pore diameter distribution. The Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) loading biofilm/support and its desulfurization experiments for the sewage with 1000-4000 mg SO42−/L have been performed, and the result shows that the polymer bead support has given higher sulfate reducing rates than that of the traditional active carbon (AC) beads and the maximum sulfate reducing rate reached to 84.56% for the wastewater with 1000 mg SO42−/L after 12 h.