Preliminary Evaluation of Three Species of Ligninolytic Fungi for Their Possible Incorporation in Vertical Flow Treatment Wetlands for the Treatment of Tequila Vinasse

Ramírez-Ramírez, A. A.; Sulbarán-Rangel, B. C.; Jáuregui-Rincón, J.; Lozano-Álvarez, J. A.; la Torre, J. A Flores-de; Zurita-Martínez, F.

Preliminary Evaluation of Three Species of Ligninolytic Fungi for Their Possible Incorporation in Vertical Flow Treatment Wetlands for the Treatment of Tequila Vinasse

2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare three species of ligninolytic fungi (Trametes versicolor, Bjerkandera adusta, and Phanerochaete chrysosporium) in laboratory-scale columns with respect to their efficiency for the treatment of raw tequila vinasse, in order to assess the feasibility of incorporating this type of fungi in vertical flow treatment wetlands. The following parameters were analyzed at the inlets and outlets of the columns: total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD₅), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), true and apparent color, total nitrogen (TN), nitrites (NO₂⁻), nitrates (NO₃⁻), and total phosphates. The performance of the 3 fungi was very similar (p > 0.05), although T. versicolor showed a trend towards higher efficiencies for the removal of TSS, TN, total phosphates, and COD. The removal efficiencies of TSS were 73.1%, 80.2%, and 78.8% for B. adusta, T. versicolor, and P. Chrysosporium, respectively; for TN removal, the efficiencies were 64.7%, 65.7%, and 60.6%, respectively. The higher removal percentage for COD (10.2%) was obtained in the column with T. versicolor. These results demonstrate the tolerance of the fungi to raw tequila vinasse, their role in reducing pollutant concentrations, and the feasibility of incorporating them into vertical flow treatment wetlands to increase the efficiency of these systems for the treatment of tequila stillage.

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