Abstract: Fecal coliform serves as an indicator of microbial contamination in water and, consequently, water quality. Chlorine disinfection is required to meet effluent standards for conventional sewage treatment; however, it incurs high costs and poses stability risks. This study purified waste effluent from a biological laboratory using an enhanced mobile biofilm reactor (EMBR) filled with biofilm carriers and investigated the removal efficiency of fecal coliforms. Results showed that the biocarrier flask, without ultraviolet (UV) treatment, achieved a 95% removal rate. Notably, removal rates exceeded 99.9% for both fecal coliforms and E.coli phages in the EMBR effluent, with an average phage titer of only 22.2±38.5 PFU/mL. The total bacterial concentration decreased from an average of 10⁷ to 10³ CFU/mL. Effluent quality met Class 1 A discharge limits. Furthermore, the biological safety test indicated a 100% survival rate of zebrafish after 24 h. These findings demonstrate that the EMBR process enables biosafe discharge treatment for biological laboratory wastewater and holds significant application potential.

Key words: fecal coliform, enhanced mobile bio?lm reactor (EMBR), laboratory wastewater, bio?lm carriers