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Continuous operation of foamed emulsion bioreactors treating toluene vapors.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kan, E; Deshusses, MA
Published in: Biotechnology and bioengineering
November 2005

Continuous operation of a new bioreactor for air pollution control called the foamed emulsion bioreactor (FEBR) has been investigated. The effect of several liquid feeding strategies was explored. The FEBR exhibited high and steady toluene removal performance (removal efficiency of 89%-94%, elimination capacity of 214-226 g/m3h at toluene inlet concentration of 1 g/m3) for up to 360 h, when 20% of the culture was replaced every 24 h by a nutrient solution containing 4 g/L of potassium nitrate as a nitrogen source. This feeding mode supported a high cell activity measured as INT reduction potential and active cell growth without being subject to nitrogen limitation. In comparison, operating the FEBR with the liquid in a closed loop (i.e., batch) resulted in a significant decrease of both the removal efficiency of toluene and INT reduction activity. Operation with feeding active cells resulted in stable and effective treatment, but would require a significant effort for mass culture preparation. Therefore, the continuous process with periodically feeding nutrients was found to be the most practical and effective operating mode. It also allows for stable operation, as was shown during removal of low concentration of toluene or after pollutant starvation. Throughout the study, INT reduction measurements provided insight into the process. INT reduction activity data proved that under normal operating conditions, the FEBR performance was limited by both the kinetics and by mass transfer. Overall, the results illustrate that engineered gas-phase bioreactors can potentially be more effective than conventional biofilters and biotrickling filters for the treatment of air pollutants such as toluene.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Biotechnology and bioengineering

DOI

EISSN

1097-0290

ISSN

0006-3592

Publication Date

November 2005

Volume

92

Issue

3

Start / End Page

364 / 371

Related Subject Headings

  • Ultrafiltration
  • Toluene
  • Gases
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Equipment Design
  • Emulsions
  • Cell Culture Techniques
  • Biotechnology
  • Bioreactors
  • Bacteria
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Kan, E., & Deshusses, M. A. (2005). Continuous operation of foamed emulsion bioreactors treating toluene vapors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 92(3), 364–371. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.20619
Kan, Eunsung, and Marc A. Deshusses. “Continuous operation of foamed emulsion bioreactors treating toluene vapors.Biotechnology and Bioengineering 92, no. 3 (November 2005): 364–71. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.20619.
Kan E, Deshusses MA. Continuous operation of foamed emulsion bioreactors treating toluene vapors. Biotechnology and bioengineering. 2005 Nov;92(3):364–71.
Kan, Eunsung, and Marc A. Deshusses. “Continuous operation of foamed emulsion bioreactors treating toluene vapors.Biotechnology and Bioengineering, vol. 92, no. 3, Nov. 2005, pp. 364–71. Epmc, doi:10.1002/bit.20619.
Kan E, Deshusses MA. Continuous operation of foamed emulsion bioreactors treating toluene vapors. Biotechnology and bioengineering. 2005 Nov;92(3):364–371.
Journal cover image

Published In

Biotechnology and bioengineering

DOI

EISSN

1097-0290

ISSN

0006-3592

Publication Date

November 2005

Volume

92

Issue

3

Start / End Page

364 / 371

Related Subject Headings

  • Ultrafiltration
  • Toluene
  • Gases
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Equipment Design
  • Emulsions
  • Cell Culture Techniques
  • Biotechnology
  • Bioreactors
  • Bacteria