Environmental Biotechnology: Bromate (BrO3-) is a drinking-water contaminant produced during treatment with ozone. Bromate is stable and difficult to remove from solution, but some bacteria can transform it to innocuous bromide (Br-). Our research shows that a novel, hollow-fiber membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) can effectively reduce bromate under denitrifying conditions, providing a potential treatment solution. The goals of this study are to investigate whether bromate reduction is necessarily linked to denitrification, and if the bacteria actually can grow using bromate as an electron acceptors. A better understanding of these issues can lead to a more efficient treatment application.
Professor Robert Nerenberg
