Research progress of immobilized microorganism technology and its mechanisms in wastewater treatment

Immobilized microorganism technology was utilized to make freely suspended target cells immobilized inside or on the surface of carrier materials by physical or chemical means,and the immobilized microorganisms were efficiently employed as biocatalysts.The technology has a lot of advantages,such as high microbial activity,high cell concentration,favorable biological tolerance to stress,strong resistance to shock loads,and superior removal efficiency.It had been widely used to treat wastewater.In the present study,immobilization carries,immobilization methods,and immobilization devices were reviewed.Mechanisms of immobilized microorganism technology were focused in the treatment of wastewater containing heavy metals,organic pollutants,and ammonia nitrogen.The prospective development of immobilized microorganism technology was also described,which was suggested to provide instruction for its application in the field of wastewater treatment.