Application of myco-light expanded clay aggregate for real textile wastewater treatment in rotating drum biological contactor

Abstract Textile effluent could endanger human health and the water environment, but it is very challenging to be treated due to its complex composition. Biological methods for textile wastewater treatment by using fungi has been extensively studied in a lab-scale yet the investigation on a larger scale is still limited. In this study, a preliminary investigation of immobilized Trametes hirsuta D7 in light expanded clay aggregate (myco-LECA) application was conducted to treat the real textile wastewater in a rotating drum biological contactor. The undiluted wastewater without any addition of carbon and nutrients was used in the experiment and treated for 72 hours in the batch-mode bioreactor. The results revealed the maximum decolorization of 74.62% along with the highest laccase activity observed at 107 UL−1. Moreover, the pH was successfully reduced from 12.94 to 8.57 while the chemical oxygen demand still fluctuated. In terms of nutrients, 57.4% of phosphorus (PO4-P) removal was achieved but no observation of the nitrification process. Based on the toxicity assay using Artemia salina larvae, the treatment could reduce the toxicity level and performed a total chromium removal up to 36.5%. These findings showed the promising abilities of myco-LECA for textile wastewater treatment prior to the full-scale application.