Regeneration of activated carbon by applying the phenolic degrading fungus Scedosporium apiospermum

Abstract The regeneration of activated carbon (AC) is an important step for the industry because it reinstates its adsorption capacity with negligible changes in its original textural parameters. Thus, it allows the re-use of AC at a low cost. Different methods have been used to achieve regeneration, most of them failing in reinstating its original adsorption properties and raising the cost of the process. In this study, we propose to combine two methods for the removal of phenol: adsorption using AC and bioremediation. The use of the Scedosporium apiospermum HDO1 fungus allowed the removal of the residual concentration of phenol from the solution, and reinstated 98% of the original textural parameters of AC. This level of bioregeneration has never before been obtained using the common methods such as thermal treatment or solvent extraction.