Co-metabolism based adaptation of anaerobes to phenolic saline wastewater in a two-phase reactor enables efficient treatment and bioenergy recovery

Anaerobic biological treatment of saline phenolic wastewater has some limitations such as slow adaptation, low biodegradability, and salinity-derived washout biomass, though this technology benefits in terms bioenergy recovery, simplicity operation, economic rationality. Therefore, we propose a packed-bed circular baffled reactor (PB-CBR) along with co-metabolism strategy for phenol adaptation at salinity level 10 g-NaCl/L. Phenol glucose were gradually increased decreased to 0.9 1.0 g/L, respectively. Stable efficient performance was achieved > 99.9% removal, ∼98% overall ∼ 0.3 L CH4/gCOD. A sudden increase 2 g/L then examined, where removal dropped 19% after 30 d; another d, the negligible even when 1.7 g/L. The compartment-wise analysis PB-CBR showed that phases-separation, all compartments, maintained efficiency, particularly facing or shocks; otherwise, earlier compartments achieve 95% efficiency. microbial community Corynebacteriaceae, Syntrophaceae, Kosmotogaceae, Synergistaceae key players phenol-degradation. Using readily biodegradable co-substrate enhanced biodiversity. Eventually, according cost-benefit analysis, present work offers promising opportunity treat phenol-based effluents an efficient, sustainable, affordable way.