Efficient Total Nitrogen Removal in an Ammonia Gas Biofilter through High-Rate OLAND

Ammonia gas is conventionally treated in nitrifying biofilters; however, addition of organic carbon to perform post-denitrification is required to obtain total nitrogen removal. Oxygen-limited autotrophic nitrification/denitrification (OLAND), applied in full-scale for wastewater treatment, can offer a cost-effective alternative for gas treatment. In this study, the OLAND application thus was broadened toward ammonia loaded gaseous streams. A down flow, oxygen-saturated biofilter (height of 1.5 m; diameter of 0.11 m) was fed with an ammonia gas stream (248 ± 10 ppmv) at a loading rate of 0.86 ± 0.04 kg N m(-3) biofilter d(-1) and an empty bed residence time of 14 s. After 45 days of operation a stable nitrogen removal rate of 0.67 ± 0.06 kg N m(-3) biofilter d(-1), an ammonia removal efficiency of 99%, a removal of 75-80% of the total nitrogen, and negligible NO/N(2)O productions were obtained at water flow rates of 1.3 ± 0.4 m(3) m(-2) biofilter section d(-1). Profile measurements revealed that 91% of the total nitrogen activity was taking place in the top 36% of the filter. This study demonstrated for the first time highly effective and sustainable autotrophic ammonia removal in a gas biofilter and therefore shows the appealing potential of the OLAND process to treat ammonia containing gaseous streams.     

Removal of hydrogen sulfide by sulfate-resistant Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans AZ11

Toxic H2S gas is an important industrial pollutant that is applied to biofiltration. Here, we examined the effects of factors such as inlet concentration and space velocity on the removal efficiency of a bacterial strain capable of tolerating high sulfate concentrations and low pH conditions. We examined three strains of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans known to have sulfur-oxidizing activity, and identified strain AZ11 as having the highest tolerance for sulfate. A. thiooxidans AZ11 could grow at pH 0.2 in the presence of 74 g l(-1) sulfate, the final oxidation product of elemental sulfur, in the culture broth. Under these conditions, the specific sulfur oxidation rate was 2.9 g-S g-DCW (dry cell weight)(-1) d(-1). The maximum specific sulfur oxidation rate of A. thiooxidans AZ11 was 21.2 g-S g-DCW(-1) d(-1), which was observed in the presence of 4.2 g-SO4(2-) l(-1) and pH 1.5, in the culture medium. To test the effects of various factors on biofiltration by this strain, A. thiooxidans AZ11 was inoculated into a porous ceramic biofilter. First, a maximum inlet loading of 670 g-S m(-3) h(-1) was applied with a constant space velocity (SV) of 200 h(-1) (residence time, 18 s) and the inlet concentration of H2S was experimentally increased from 200 ppmv to 2200 ppmv. Under these conditions, less than 0.1 ppmv H2S was detected at the biofilter outlet. When the inlet H2S was maintained at a constant concentration of 200 ppmv and the SV was increased from 200 h(-1) to 400 h(-1) (residence time, 9 s), an H2S removal of 99.9% was obtained. However, H2S removal efficiencies decreased to 98% and 94% when the SV was set to 500 h(-1) (residence time, 7.2 s) and 600 h(-1) (residence time, 6 s), respectively. The critical elimination capacity guaranteeing 96% removal of the inlet H2S was determined to be 160 g-S m(-3) h(-1) at a space velocity of 600 h(-1). Collectively, these findings show for the first time that a sulfur oxidizing bacterium has a high sulfate tolerance and a high sulfur oxidizing activity below pH 1.     

Biofiltration for mitigation of methane emission from animal husbandry

Removal of methane from exhaust air of animal houses and manure storage has a large potential for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from animal husbandry. The aim of this study was to design a biofilter for methane removal at a full-scale livestock production facility. Air from the headspace of a covered 6 m3 liquid manure storage (air flow: 0.75-8.5 m3 m(-3) h(-1); CH4: 500-5500 mg m(-3)) was treated in an experimental biofilter (160 L). The filterbed, a mixture of compost and perlite in a 40:60 (v/v) ratio, was inoculated with activated sludge that had shown a good methane oxidation rate as compared to pure cultures in preceding laboratory tests. Methane removal up to 85% could be achieved in the experimental biofilter. The methane removal (g m(-3) h(-1)) appeared to be proportional to the concentration (g m(-3)) with k = 2.5 h(-1). Relatively low methane concentrations and high air flows, as reported for the exhaust air of animal houses, would require very large biofilter sizes. Extrapolation of the results showed that treatment of air from a 1000 m3 liquid manure storage with a methane concentration of 22 g m(-3) would require a 20 m3 biofilter for a desired emission reduction of 50%. The costs for such a biofilter are USD 26 per t of CO2 equiv reduction.     

Simultaneous removal of H2S and NH3 in biofilter inoculated with Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans TAS

H2S and NH3 gases are toxic, corrosive and malodorous air pollutants. Although there are numerous well-established physicochemical techniques presently available for the treatment of these gases, the growing demand for a more economical and improved process has prompted investigations into biological alternatives. In biological treatment methods, H2S is oxidized to SO4(2-) by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, and then NH3 is removed by chemical neutralization with SO4(2-) to (NH4)2SO4. Since the accumulated (NH4)2SO4 can inhibit microbial activity, it is important to utilize an effective sulfur-oxidizing bacterium that has tolerance to high concentrations of (NH4)2SO4 for the simultaneous removal of H2S and NH3. In this study, a sulfur-oxidizing bacterium with tolerance to high concentrations of (NH4)2SO4 was isolated from activated sludge and identified as Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans TAS. A. thiooxidans TAS could display its sulfur-oxidizing activity in a medium supplemented with 60 g.l(-1) (NH4)2SO4, even though its growth and sulfur-oxidizing activity were completely inhibited in 80 g.l(-1) (NH4)2SO4. When H2S alone was supplied to a ceramic biofilter inoculated with A. thiooxidans TAS, an almost 100% H2S removal efficiency was maintained until the inlet H2S concentration was increased up to 900 microl.l(-1) and the space velocity up to 500 h(-1), at which the amount of H2S eliminated was 810 g-S.m(-3).h(-1). However, when NH3 (50-500 microl.l(-1)) was simultaneously supplied to the biofilter with H2S, the maximum amount of H2S eliminated decreased to 650 g-S.m(-3).h(-1). The inhibition of H2S removal by low NH3 concentrations (50-200 microl.l(-1)) was similar to that by high NH3 concentrations (300-500 microl.l(-1)). The critical inlet H2S load that resulted in over 99% removal was determined as 400 g-S.m(-3).h(-1) in the presence of NH3.     

Effects of gas flow rate, inlet concentration and temperature on biofiltration of volatile organic compounds in a peat-packed biofilter

The effects of incoming gas concentration, empty bed residence time (EBRT), and column temperature on the removal efficiency of volatile organic compounds (isoprene, dimethyl sulfide, chloroform, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene, m-xylene, o-xylene and styrene) were studied for 101 d in a biofilter comprising two glass columns (I.D. 5.0 cm x height 62 cm) packed with peat. At an EBRT of 3 min the removal efficiency increased up to 90% 34 d after start up at both 25 degrees C and 45 degrees C when the incoming gas concentration was raised stepwise to 65 g.m(-3). When the incoming gas concentration increased to 83 g.m(-3), the removal efficiency was 93% at 25 degrees C, but dropped to 74% at 45 degrees C. At an incoming gas concentration of 92 g.m(-3) and an EBRT of 1.5 min, the removal efficiencies were 91% and 94% at 25 degrees C and 32 degrees C, respectively. However, at 1 min of EBRT, the removal efficiencies decreased to 68% and 81% at 25 degrees C and 32 degrees C, respectively. The removal rate per unit time and per unit volume of the biofilter was proportional to the incoming gas rate up to 3483 g VOC.m(-3).h(-1). Further increase of the incoming gas rate lowered the removal rate as compared to that predicted by the proportionality. The maximum removal rate was 3977 g.m(-3).h(-1) at 32 degrees C. At an EBRT of 1.5 min, the removal efficiency was highest for isoprene (93%), and lowest for chloroform (84%). Aromatic compounds (benzene, toluene, and xylene) were removed by 93-94%. The cell concentration increased 100-fold from the initial value, and reached 1.12 x 10(8) cells.(g of dry peat)(-1). At 32 degrees C, 67% of the incoming VOC was removed in the first quarter of the column.     

Biofiltration of methyl tert-butyl ether vapors by cometabolism with pentane: modeling and experimental approach

Degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) vapors by cometabolism with pentane using a culture of pentane-oxidizing bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) was studied in a 2.4-L biofilter packed with vermiculite, an inert mineral support. Experimental pentane elimination capacity (EC) of approximately 12 g m(-3) h(-1) was obtained for an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 1.1 h and inlet concentration of 18.6 g m(-3). For these experimental conditions, EC of MTBE between 0.3 and 1.8 g m(-3) h(-1) were measured with inlet MTBE concentration ranging from 1.1 to 12.3 g m(-3). The process was modeled with general mass balance equations that consider a kinetic model describing cross-competitive inhibition between MTBE (cosubstrate) and pentane (substrate). The experimental data of pentane and MTBE removal efficiencies were compared to the theoretical predictions of the model. The predicted pentane and MTBE concentration profiles agreed with the experimental data for steady-state operation. Inhibition by MTBE of the pentane EC was demonstrated. Increasing the inlet pentane concentration improved the EC of MTBE but did not significantly change the EC of pentane. MTBE degradation rates obtained in this study were much lower than those using consortia or pure strains that can mineralize MTBE. Nevertheless, the system can be improved by increasing the active biomass.     

Alkaline biofiltration of H2S odors

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a very common odor nuisance which is best controlled by chemical or biological scrubbing. Under alkaline pH, the amount of H2S that can be solubilized in a scrubbing liquid increases significantly, and therefore, gas-liquid mass transfer limitations can be reduced. To date, biological scrubbing of H2S has been limited to neutral or acidic pH, despite the potential benefit of reduced mass transfer limitations at alkaline pH. In the present paper, an alkaliphilic sulfoxidizing bacterial consortium was deployed in a laboratory-scale biotrickling filter treating H2S at pH 10. The gas contact time ranged from 1 to 6 s, and H2S inlet concentrations, from 2.5 to 18 ppm(v). The results showed that under most conditions, H2S removal exceeded 98% and the degradation end-product was sulfate. At the highest H2S concentrations and shortest gas contacttimes, when the loading exceeded 30 g m(-3) h(-1), the H2S removal efficiency decreased significantly due to biological reaction limitation, and incompletely oxidized sulfides were measured in the trickling liquid. An analysis of the process demonstrated that operating the biotrickling filter at high pH results in an enhancement of the mass transfer by a factor of 1700-11 000. Overall, alkaline biotrickling filtration was shown to be very effective at low concentration of H2S and very short gas contact time. This is the first demonstration of a biotrickling filter for air pollution control operated at high pH.     

Application of pulsed corona induced plasma chemical process to an industrial incinerator

Pulsed corona induced plasma chemical process (PPCP) has been investigated for the simultaneous removal of NO(x) (nitrogen oxides) and SO2 (sulfur dioxide) from the flue gas emission. It is one of the world's largest scales of PPCP for treating NO(x) and SO2 simultaneously. A PPCP unit equipped with an average 120 kW modulator has been installed and tested at an industrial incinerator with the gas flow rate of 42 000 m3/h. To improve the removal efficiency of SO2 and NO(x), ammonia (NH3) and propylene (C3H6) were used as chemical additives. It was observed that the pulsed corona induced plasma chemical process made significant NO(x) and SO2 conversion with reasonable electric power consumption. The ammonia injection was very effective in the enhancement of SO2 removal. NO removal efficiency was significantly improved by injecting a C3H6 additive. In the experiments, the removal efficiencies of SO2 and NO(x) were approximately 99 and 70%, respectively. The specific energy consumption during the normal operation was approximately 1.4 Wh/m3, and the nanopulse conversion efficiency of 64.3% was achieved with the pulsed corona induced plasma chemical process.     

Dynamics of sustainable grazing fauna and effect on performance of gas biofilter

The inherent operational problems of biofilters such as a pressure drop increase and nutrient limitations were managed in a toluene-removing gas biofilter with a sustainable grazing fauna consisting of micrometazoa and ciliate protozoa. Dynamic populations of predatory nematodes (Caenorhabditis sp.), rotifers (Philodina sp.), tardigrades (Echiniscus sp.) and fly larvae represented the micrometazoa community in the filter bed. Colpoda inflata, Euplotes harpa and Acineria sp. constituted the grazing ciliate community. The spatiotemporal distribution and abundance of the grazing fauna depends on physicochemical conditions and interspecies interactions in the biofilter. Of the micro metazoa, Caenorhabditis and Philodina tolerated wide concentration ranges for toluene (0.75-2.63 g m(-3)) and CO(2) (0.92-6.08 g m(-3)) and maintained stable populations of 3.4-4.7 x 10(3) and 5.8-7.65 x 10(4) g medium(-1), respectively. The grazing fauna supported a stable toluene-degrading bacterial community composed of four Pseudomonas spp. Under a maximum toluene load of 120.72 g m(-3) h(-1), at steady-state conditions 80% toluene removal was achieved in the biofilter. Of the grazing organisms, owing to their reproductive cycle and feeding behaviour, fly larvae were not suited for application in the biofilter. Meanwhile, organisms such as nematodes, rotifers and ciliates capable of tolerating a wide pollutant concentration range and maintaining a sustainable population are ideal candidates for application in biofilter technology.     

Biological deodorization of hydrogen sulfide using porous lava as a carrier of Thiobacillus thiooxidans

Biological deodorization of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was studied using porous lava as a carrier of Thiobacillus thiooxidans in a laboratory-scale biofilter. Three different samples of porous lava, A, B, and C, which were obtained from Cheju Island in Korea, were used. The water-holding capacities of samples A, B and C were 0.38, 0.25, and 0.47 g-H2O/g-lava, respectively. The pHs and densities of the lava samples ranged from 8.25-9.24 and 920-1190 kg/m3, respectively. The buffering capacities, expressed as the amount of sulfate added to lower the pH to 4, were 60 g-SO4(2-)/kg-lava for sample A, 50 g-SO4(2-)/kg-lava for B, and 90 g-SO4(2-)/kg-lava for C. To investigate the removal characteristics of H2S by the lava biofilters, T. thiooxidans was immobilized on the lava samples. Biofilters A and C showed a removal capacity of 428 g-S.m(-3).h(-1) when H2S was supplied with 428 g-S.m(-3).h(-1) of inlet load at a space velocity (SV) of 300 h(-1). At the same inlet load and SV, the removal capacity of biofilter B was 396 g-S.m(-3).h(-1). The H2S critical loads of biofilters A, B and C at a SV of 400 h(-1) were 396, 157 and 342 g-S.m(-3).h(-1), respectively. It is suggested that natural, porous lava is a promising candidate as a carrier of microorganisms in biofiltration.     

Enhancement of styrene removal efficiency in biofilter by mixed cultures of Pseudomonas sp. SR-5

The styrene-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas sp. SR-5 exhibited a high styrene removability in a biofilter. However, the styrene removal efficiency (RE) of SR-5 decreased with time. We carried out styrene gas removal in a biofilter inoculated with mixed cultures of SR-5 and other microorganisms to determine the possibility of obtaining an enhanced RE for a long period. The following three inocula were carried out: (i) styrene-degrading bacteria, strains 1 and 3, (ii) a benzoic acid-degrading bacterium Raoultella sp. A, and (iii) wastewater from a chemical company dealing with styrene. These biofilters with mixed SR-5 showed an enhanced RE compared with those with a single culture of SR-5. The complete styrene elimination capacities for ensuring 100% styrene removal in those mixed cultures were 151, 108 and 124 g/m(3)/h, compared with a single culture of SR-5.     

The biofiltration of indoor air: air flux and temperature influences the removal of toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene

An alternative approach to maintaining indoor air quality may be the biofiltration of air circulated within the space. A biofilter with living botanical matter as the packing medium reduced concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene concurrently present at parts per billion (volume) in indoor air. The greatest reduction in concentrations per pass was under the slowest influent air flux (0.025 m s(-1)); however, the maximum amount removed per unit time occurred under the most rapid flux (0.2 m s(-1)). There was little difference between the different compounds with removal capacities of between 1.3 and 2.4 micromol m(-3) biofilter s(-1) (between 0.5 and 0.9 g m(-3) biofilter h(-1)) depending on influent flux and temperature. Contrary to biofilters subjected to higher influent concentrations, the optimal temperatures for removal by this biofilter decreased to less than 20 degrees C at the most rapid flux for all three compounds. Microbial activity was decreased at these cooler temperatures suggesting the biofilter was not microbially limited but rather was limited by the availability of substrate. The cooler temperatures allowed greater partitioning of the VOCs into the water column which had a greater impact on removal than its reduction in microbial activity.     

Biofiltration and inhibitory interactions of gaseous benzene, toluene, xylene, and methyl tert-butyl ether

This study evaluated the individual and combined removal capacities of benzene, toluene, and xylene (B, T, and X) in the presence and absence of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in a polyurethane biofilter inoculated with a BTX-degrading microbial consortium, and further examined their interactive effects in various mixtures. In addition, Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences were used to compare the microbial community structures found in biofilters exposed to the various gases and gas mixtures. The maximum individual elimination capacities (MECs) of B, T, and X were 200, 238, and 400 g m(-3) h(-1), respectively. There was no significant elimination of MTBE alone. Addition of MTBE decreased the MECs of B,T, and X to 75, 100, and 300 g m(-3) h(-1), respectively, indicating that benzene was most strongly inhibited by MTBE. When the three gases were mixed (B + T + X), the removal capacities of individual B, T, and X were 50, 90, and 200 g m(-3) h(-1), respectively. These capacities decreased to 40, 50, and 100 g m(-3) h(-1) when MTBE was added to the mix. The MEC of the three-gas mixture (B + T + X) was 340 g m(-3) h(-1), and that of the four-gas mixture was 200 g m(-3) h(-1). Although MTBE alone was not degraded by the biofilter, it could be co-metabolically degraded in the presence of toluene, benzene, or xylene with the MECs of 34, 23, and 14 g m(-3) h(-1), respectively. The microbial community structure analysis revealed that two large groups could be distinguished based on the presence or absence of MTBE, and many of the dominant bacteria in the consortia were closely related to bacteria isolated from aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated sites and/ or oil wastewaters. These findings provide important new insights into biofiltration and may be used to improve the rational design of biofilters for remediation of petroleum gas-contaminated airstreams according to composition types of mixed gases.     

EDTA degradation induced by oxygen activation in a zerovalent iron/air/water system

A method for the removal of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) at room temperature and 1 atm is demonstrated. EDTA (1 mM, 50 mL) containing 2.5 g of granular zerovalent iron (ZVI) (20-40 mesh) was degraded in 2.5 h. Using a recently developed form of O2 activation, reactive oxygen species are generated in situ, resulting in the degradation of EDTA when complexed with FeII. ESI-MS measurements indicate that degradation of EDTA yields low-molecular carboxylic acids. The presence of oxygen is crucial: the observed pseudo-first-order rate constants for EDTA removal are kobs = 1.02 h(-1) (kSA = 1.85 +/- 0.046 L h(-1) m(-2)) and kobs = 0.04 h(-1) (kSA = 0.00724 +/- 0.002 L h(-1) m(-2)) under air and under N2 purge, respectively. kSA represents surface area normalized rate constants. Large excesses of EDTA in the reaction mixture slowthe rate of degradation. Increasing the concentration of EDTA from 1.0 to 10.0 mM while holding all other parameters constant gave observed rates of kobs = 1.02 +/- 0.26 h(-1) (kSA = 1.85 +/- 0.046 L h(-1) m(-2)) and kobs = 0.044 +/- 0.01 h(-1) (kSA = 0.00796 +/- 0.002 L h(-1) m(-2)), respectively. The rate-limiting step is determined to be homogeneous oxygen activation.     

Removal of p-xylene with Pseudomonas sp. NBM21 in biofilter

As a p-xylene (p-Xyl)-degrading microorganism, Pseudomonas sp. NBM21 was isolated from an activated sludge of a wastewater treatment plant. NBM21 degraded p-Xyl, m-xylene, benzene and toluene, but not o-xylene, ethylbenzene (Eb) and styrene. NBM21 was inoculated to a biofilter with Biosol as a packing material and p-Xyl removal was operated for 105 d under sterile and nonsterile conditions. The maximum elimination capacities for p-Xyl at higher than 90% removal efficiency were 160 g/m3/h and 150 g/m3/h under nonsterile and sterile conditions, respectively. A high load of Eb adversely affected to the removal of xylene.     

Continuous treatment of gas-phase trichloroethylene by Burkholderia cepacia G4 in a two-stage continuous stirred tank reactor/trickling biofilter system

A two-stage continuous stirred tank reactor/trickling biofilter system was developed and operated for continuous treatment of gas-phase trichloroethylene (TCE) by Burkholderia cepacia. The maximum TCE elimination capacity was 28.0 mg TCE/l.d, and complete removal of TCE was obtained for inlet loading below 25.3 mg TCE/l.d. The reactor system was stably operated for more than 3 months.     

High-rate nitrogen removal from anaerobic digester liquor using an up-flow anammox reactor with polyethylene sponge as a biomass carrier

Here, the stable performance of nitrogen removal from digester liquor after partial nitrification was experimentally demonstrated in an up-flow anammox reactor with polyethylene sponge (PE sponge) as a biomass carrier. A high nitrogen loading rate of 8.4 kg-N/m(3)/day with a TN removal rate of 7.6 kg-N/m(3)/day was obtained in this study, indicating PE sponge carrier is effective to attain high nitrogen removal performance. This high NLR should be mainly attributed to the successfully operational strategy, the biomass carrier with strong adsorption as well as the functional microbial community. The reaction ratio of NH(4)(+):NO(2)(-):NO(3)(-) using the anaerobic digester liquor as feeding media was 1:1.09:0.14. In addition, the channeling phenomenon was investigated in this study, and the problem could be solved through keeping the sludge bed lower than 2/3 of the effective height of the reactor. Furthermore, the settling property of the anammox granules was enhanced significantly and the bacteria community was verified by DNA analysis. The new species of anammox bacteria (kumadai-1) and KSU-1 were confirmed to be the predominant species after stable anammox performance was obtained.     

Performance of a constructed wetland with a sulfur/limestone denitrification section for wastewater nitrogen removal

The effectiveness of a nonvegetated lab-scale subsurface flow constructed wetland for wastewater treatment had been evaluated with the feed ammonium concentration of approximately 20-40 mg of NH4(+)-N L(-1) and a hydraulic retention time of approximately 10 d. The present system had a nitrification zone plus a sulfur/limestone (S/L) autotrophic denitrification zone followed by an anaerobic polishing zone and was operated with and without aeration. The wetland had only 80% organics removal and no net nitrogen removal when there was no artificial aeration. However, almost 100% organics removal and approximately 81-90% total inorganic nitrogen (TIN = NH4(+)-N + NO2(-0-N + NO3(-)-N) removal were achieved when the oxic zone of the system was aerated with compressed air. S/L autotrophic denitrification contributed 21-49% of total NO3(-)-N removal across the whole wetland and 50-95% across the S/L column. TIN and NH4(+)-N in the effluent were always < 5.5 and < 0.7 mg L(-1), respectively, when the feed had NH4(+)-N < or = 35 mg L(-1). Sulfate removal of approximately 53-69% was achieved in the anaerobic polishing zone. The position of the S/L column was changed (1.78, 2.24, and 2.69 m from the inlet), and no remarkable difference in nitrogen removal was observed. However, without the S/L column, TIN removal decreased to approximately 74%, and the effluent NO3(-)-N increased about two times (9.13 mg of N L(-1)). The present study has demonstrated the possible use of S/L autotrophic denitrification for nitrate removal in a constructed wetland.     

Performance of a styrene-degrading biofilter inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. SR-5

Styrene removal was studied for 3 months in a laboratory-scale biofilter packed with a mixed packing material of peat and ceramic at a ratio of 1 to 1 on a dry-weight basis and inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. SR-5. More than 90% removal efficiency (RE) was attained at 1-140 g/m3/h styrene loads under nitrogen-source limitation. When RE decreased to 70% after 30 d with an increase in styrene load, readdition of SR-5 and washing of the filter packing material restored the RE to more than 90% by maintaining the population of SR-5 at 1-10% of the total cell number. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) by kinetic analysis was estimated to be 290 g/m3/h. High conversion of the removed styrene carbon to CO2, and significantly small production of cell mass from the removed carbon were confirmed.     

Membrane-aerated biofilm reactor for the treatment of acetonitrile wastewater

A membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) was studied for the treatment of wastewater containing acetonitrile, a typical organonitrile compound. The MABR used hydrophobic hollow fiber membranes as the diffusers for bubbleless aeration as well as the carriers for biofilm growth. The objectives were to prevent the stripping-loss of acetonitrile during aeration and to achieve acetonitrile biodegradation plus nitrogen removal simultaneously in a single biolfilm on the membranes. In the MABR, oxygen and substrates were supplied to the biofilm from opposite sides, in contrast to those from the same side in conventional biofilm bioreactors. Operational factors, including surface loading rate and upflow fluid velocity in the bioreactor, on the effect of acetonitrile biodegradation performance were examined. The profiles of dissolved oxygen concentration and microbial activities and populations in the biofilm were investigated. Experimental results showed that, with the adapted microorganisms, removal of acetonitrile at approximately 98.6 and 83.3%, in terms of total organic carbon and total nitrogen, were achieved at a surface loading rate (in terms of membrane surface) of up to 11.29 g acetonitrile/ m2 x d with an upflow fluid velocity of 12 cm/s and a hydraulic retention time of 30 h. The biofilm on the membranes developed an average thickness of about 1.6 mm in the steady state and consisted of oxic/anoxic/anaerobic zones that provided different functions for acetonitrile degradation, nitrification, and denitrification. The acetonitrile-degrading bacteria in the MABR appeared to secrete more extracellular polymeric substances that enhanced the attachment and development of the biofilm on the membranes. The study demonstrated the potential of using the MABR for the treatment of organonitrile wastewater.