This work was aimed at studying the possibility of biodegrading 4-nonylphenol and low ethoxylated nonylphenol mixtures, which are particularly recalcitrant to microbial degradation, by employing a biofilm reactor packed with a ceramic support (Vukopor® S10). A selected microbial consortium (Consortium A) was used to colonize the support. 4-Nonylphenol and ethoxylated nonylphenol degradation and mineralization capabilities were studied both in batch and continuous mode. The results showed that Vukopor® S10 was able to be colonized by an active biofilm for the degradation of the target pollutants with the reactor operating both in batch and continuous mode. On the other hand, pollutant adsorption on the support was negligible. FISH showed equal proportion of Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria in the Igepal CO-520 degrading reactor. A shift towards high proportion of Gammaproteobacteria was observed by supplying Igepal CO-210. PCR-density gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses also evidenced that the biofilm evolved with time by changing the mixture applied and that Proteobacteria were the most represented phylum in the biofilm. Taken together, the data obtained provide a strong indication that the biofilm reactor packed with Vukopor® S10 and inoculated with Consortium A could potentially be used to develop a technology for the decontamination of 4-nonylphenol and low ethoxylated nonylphenol polluted effluents. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

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