Effect of polymer variation as carrier media for microorganism growth in biofilm development using aerobic fixed-biofilm reactor system

The use of supporting media with different polymers in biofilm technology will affect the performance of the wastewater treatment system. This study aims to analyze the effect of polymer variation as a supporting medium in biofilm formation using aerobic fixed-biofilm system. The method used for Water Contact Angle (WCA) test is wettability test, analysis of Total Attached Solids (TAS) as biofilm using gravimetry, thickness and surface morphology of biofilm using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis, specific growth rate of microorganisms (mu) and substrate removal rate using monod and 1st order kinetics. The results showed that the WCA values for Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polymethyl Methacrylate (PM), Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) polymers are 71.78 f 0.940, 80.47 f 0.680, 82.25 f 0.760, 77.58 f 0.810, and 75.28 f 0.760. WCA of PVC was the smallest, meaning that PVC has the most hydrophilic properties compared to other polymers. The best polymer in attaching microorganisms is PVC, followed by PET, PP, PM, and PE based on TAS, thickness of biofilm formed, biofilm development rate, and mu of microorganisms, as well as reactor performance in COD, NH4, NO2, NO4, and PO4 total removal. Pearson correlation test showed that there was a strong relationship between WCA to TAS formed, TAS to biofilm thickness, and TAS to organic and nutrient removal efficiency. So, it can be concluded that these types of polymers can be used as supporting media in wastewater treatment using a fixed-biofilm reactor system.