In this paper, three effective toluene-degrading bacteria were obtained through acclimation and screening by using landfill leachate as the initial liquid strain. The three obtained bacteria were denoted as J1, J2 and J3, and identified as Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Staphylococcus, respectively. We then identified the optimal combination of these toluene-degrading bacteria in the laboratory. The combination of J1 + J3 (1:1) exhibited the highest toluene removal efficiency (RE). A vertical bio-trickling filter (BTF) packed with ceramsite was started by inoculation with the effective combination. The performance of the BTF in treating toluene under various operating conditions was investigated. After 17 days of operation, the toluene RE reached about 90% and the maximum elimination capacity reached 42.0 g m-3 h-1. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that after the successful start-up of the BTF, the biofilm on the packing surface primarily consisted of Bacillus and Staphylococcus. During the stable state, the RE of the BTF was maintained above 80%, the shortest empty bed residence time was 34 s and toluene concentrations ranged between 300 and 800 mg m-3. The results indicate that the BTF started using the effective combination of bacteria described here is robust. This paper also provides a preliminary analysis of the mechanism of microbial degradation of pollutants in the BTF.
Keywords: Bacteria; bio-trickling filter; combination; removal efficiency; toluene.