Treatment of high salinity wastewater by Chryseobacterium sp. coupled to ionizing irradiation technology

High-salinity wastewater, especially reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate, is difficult to treat due to severe microbial inhibition and the presence of refractory organics. Herein, a salinity-tolerant bacterium ( Chryseobacterium sp.) was isolated and applied in combination with ionizing irradiation to develop an efficient coupled process for RO concentrate treatment. The strain metabolically degraded phenol, p-cresol, indole, and benzoic acid, and transcriptomic analysis revealed that salt tolerance was associated with the synthesis of specific salt-tolerant proteins and enzymes ( i.e. , branched-chain amino acid). Although elevated chloride and sulfate concentrations reduced the phenol removal rate, complete degradation was achieved. The coupled process achieved up to 78.3 % COD removal and completely inactivated Chryseobacterium sp. in the effluent, ensuring biosafety. This study provides a promising strategy integrating halotolerant biodegradation and advanced oxidation for efficient treatment of high-salinity wastewater.