A Novel Bio-carrier Fabricated Using 3D Printing Technique for Wastewater Treatment

作者:Dong, Yang; Fan, Shu-Qian; Shen, Yu; Yang, Ji-Xiang; Yan, Peng; Chen, You-Peng*; Li, Jing; Guo, Jin-Song; Duan, Xuan-Ming; Fang, Fang; Liu, Shao-Yang
来源:Scientific Reports, 2015, 5(1): 12400.
DOI:10.1038/srep12400

摘要

The structure of bio-carriers is one of the key operational characteristics of a biofilm reactor. The goal of this study is to develop a series of novel fullerene-type bio-carriers using the three-dimensional printing (3DP) technique. 3DP can fabricate bio-carriers with more specialized structures compared with traditional fabrication processes. In this research, three types of fullerene-type bio-carriers were fabricated using the 3DP technique and then compared with bio-carrier K3 (from AnoxKaldnes) in the areas of physicochemical properties and biofilm growth. Images acquired by 3D profiling and SEM indicated that the surface roughness of the 3DP bio-carrier was greater than that of K3. Furthermore, contact angle data indicated that the 3DP bio-carriers were more hydrophilic than K3. The biofilm on the 3DP bio-carriers exhibited higher microbial activity and stronger adhesion ability. These findings were attributed to excellent mass transfer of the substrate (and oxygen) between the vapour-liquid-solid tri-phase system and to the surface characteristics. It is concluded that the novel 3DP fullerene-type bio-carriers are ideal carriers for biofilm adherence and growth.