Improvement of PVA gel properties for cell immobilization

Abstract

This study investigates the characterization and the ability of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel to be used in the area of wastewater treatment as biomass immobilization matrix. The PVA matrix was prepared through the freezing-thawing cross-linking process under several preparation conditions including freezing-thawing temperature and number of cycles. PVA morphology and pore structure were tested using SEM analysis. In addition, mechanical characterization of the PVA gel was carried out using compression tests. The optimum conditions for the preparation of PVA gel with high pore structure and mechanical strength were determined to be freezing at-20C and thawing at +20C, and this can be achieved at 4 or 8 iterative freezing-thawing cycles. The prepared PVA gel under these conditions can be utilized for biomass immobilization in the area of biological wastewater treatment.