Effect of biomass adaptation to the degradation of anionic surfactants in laundry wastewater using EGSB reactors.

•Two EGSB reactors (adapted biomass and not adapted biomass) were operated.•The biomass was adapted with standard LAS before being fed with real wastewater.•The adaptation did not favor surfactant removal in real wastewater.•With standard LAS the removal was 63% and with real wastewater was 76%.•By means of pyrosequencing were identified genera that degrade aromatic compounds.