Continuous-flow wood chip reactor for biodegradation of 2,4-DCP

This research investigates the ability and efficiency of continuous-flow wood chip reactors seeded with a white-rot fungus to degrade 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) using wood chips as a carbon source. When 2,4-DCP was the only substrate (nonglucose treatment conditions), the wood chip reactor system had a high degradation efficiency and operated continuously without excessive fungal biomass buildup on the wood chips. In the presence of added glucose, a clogging problem and an effluent contamination problem of fungal cells are found during the reactor operating period. In addition, 2,4-DCP is degraded effectively both under low-nitrogen (low-N) (0.012 g/L of NH4Cl) as well as high-nitrogen (high-N) (0.12 g/L of NH4Cl) treatment conditions. The 2,4-DCP is degraded to a greater extent with small-size wood chips (5 mm diameter × 5 mm long) and hardwood chips (birch as opposed to pine) as a carbon source. The results of this research demonstrate a potential application of wood chip reactor systems for the treatment of contaminated water while expanding the use of wasted forest products. © ASCE.

Duke Scholars

Author J. Jeffrey Peirce Civil and Environmental Engineering