Biocarriers Improve Bioaugmentation Efficiency of a Rapid Sand Filter for the Treatment of 2,6-Dichlorobenzamide-Contaminated Drinking Water.

Aminobacter sp. MSH1 immobilized in an alginate matrix in porous stones was tested in a pilot system as an alternative inoculation strategy to the use of free suspended cells for biological removal of micropollutant concentrations of 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM) in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). BAM removal rates and MSH1 cell numbers were recorded during operation and assessed with specific BAM degradation rates obtained in lab conditions using either freshly grown cells or starved cells to explain reactor performance.