Intensification of Phenol Biodegradation Using a Biocomposite Based on a Bacterial Cellulose Gel Film and Yeast Debaryomyces hansenii

The process of phenol biodegradation using a biocomposite obtained by immobilizing Debaryomyces hansenii D-43-1 yeast on a bacterial cellulose gel film was studied. It was found that in the presence of the biocomposite, due to the high water content in the cellulose gel film, the phenol concentration in the model effluents decreases to a level that allows the immobilized yeast to carry out its efficient biodegradation. Conditions were identified that enable the use of the developed biocomposite for the complete biodegradation of phenol in a highly concentrated model effluent containing 2200 mg/L of the toxicant within 7.5 h.