Development of a Continuous Segmented Flow Tubular Reactor and the “Scale‐out” Concept – In Search of Perfect Powders

The synthesis of powders with controlled shape and narrow particle size distributions is still a major challenge for many industries. A continuous Segmented Flow Tubular Reactor (SFTR) has been developed to overcome homogeneity and scale‐up problems encountered when using batch reactors. Supersaturation is created by mixing the co‐reactants in a micromixer inducing precipitation; the suspension is then segmented into identical micro‐volumes by a non‐miscible fluid and sent through a tube. These micro‐volumes are more homogeneous when compared to large batch reactors leading to narrower size distributions, better particle morphology, polymorph selectivity and stoichiometry. All these features have been demonstrated on single tube SFTR for different chemical systems. To increase productivity for commercial application the SFTR is being “scaled‐out” by multiplying the number of tubes running in parallel instead of scaling‐up by increasing their size. The versatility of the multi‐tube unit will allow changes in type of precipitate with a minimum of new investment as new chemistry can be researched, developed and optimised in a single tube SFTR and then transferred to the multi‐tube unit for powder production.     

Gasification of Biogenic Solid Fuels

As a result of shrinking fossil fuels, biomass as a regenerative energy source gains importance. To realize biomass projects it is essential to investigate in convenient thermal procedures. On this evidence an analysis and evaluation of diverse gasification technologies with different boundary conditions and diverse biomasses are indispensable. Form and kind of the biomass as well as the type of the gasification plant cause different compositions of the product gas. The gasifiers show advantages and disadvantages concerning the biomass and the produced gas quality, depending on reactor type, kind of heat supply, gasification medium, and the pressure ratio in the reactor. As the ideal gasifier for different biomass is presently not available, it will be shown, which biomass is suitable for fixed bed or fluidized bed gasifiers.     

Investigation of an Ozone Membrane Contactor System

Ozone mass transfer rates were determined for nine expanded porous Teflon membranes that had different pore size, thickness, and pore volume, a nonporous Teflon membrane, and a PVDF membrane. The mass transfer coefficient was 7.6 ± 0.5 × 10^?5 m/s at Re of 2000 for all membranes tested even though pore sizes ranged from 0.07 to 6 μm and thickness from 0.076 to 0.25 mm. Mass transfer increased with liquid side Reynolds number. Therefore, it is likely that ozone mass transfer is liquid phase controlling and not membrane limited. For a hypothetical case of 4000 m³/d and 2 mg/L ozone transferred, plate and frame membrane and hollow fiber contactors are approximately one and two orders of magnitude smaller, respectively, than fine-bubble diffusers.     

Optimal Operating Conditions For Lab-Scale Ozonation Reactors

A method for the assessment of the optimal operating conditions for a mechanically stirred gas–liquid reactor is presented. The method exploits both fluid dynamic and chemical information. First, the behavior of the specific stirring power as a function of the stirrer speed allows singling out the dispersion region, in which the most efficient gas–liquid mass transfer is achieved. Inside this region, the analysis of experimental data obtained when considering a chemical system reacting at moderate Hatta numbers (i.e., Ha < about 2) allows determination of the rate constants and the fluid dynamic parameters (i.e., the mass transfer coefficient in the absence of chemical reaction and the characteristic diffusion time).     

Stimulating Biological Nitrification via Electrolytic Oxygenation

The feasibility of electric current prompted aerobic biodegradation of NH4+–N in an attached growth bioreactor system is demonstrated. Nitrification was induced at electric current densities of 1.25 and 2.5?mA/cm2 and with pure oxygen supplied at a rate equivalent to 1.25?mA/cm2 when the bioreactor was operated in batch mode at 6 days detention time. About 84% (27?mg/L)?NH4+–N loss was observed at the end of each detention period during all three experimental conditions, indicating that the electric current did not negatively impact the rate of nitrification. Nitrite accumulation was observed during the initial stages of nitrification experiments with 1.25?mA/cm2 current intensity, but nitrite did not accumulate during the other two sets of nitrification experiments. A mathematical model formulated to obtain the rates of biological reactions showed that rates of NH4+–N removal are similar for all aeration conditions. Abiotic experiments showed that NH4+–N was not removed electrolytically and via stripping, confirming that NH4+–N disappearance is due to biological activity.     

Water Treatment Units Residence-Time Distributions as Probabilistic Functions

A probabilistic approach to obtain theoretical residence-time distribution (RTD) functions for series of reactors with possible stagnation, bypassing, and recycle is presented. It is shown that most known RTD functions can be obtained from probability arguments alone, thus avoiding abstract Laplace transform mathematical techniques and providing additional physical insight. Several new RTD models for reactors in series are derived, based exclusively on using the binomial probability distribution to describe the passage of a particle through the treatment train with bypassing and stagnation possible at each individual reactor. The proposed RTD models are validated with travel time computer simulation of a large number of particles through the series of reactors. A MSExcel based computer procedure was programmed to obtain the nonideal flow parameters by minimizing the squared sum of the differences between tracer test data and the derived unit’s RTD function. The least squares parameter estimation procedure was used to fit theoretical RTDs to tracer data collected from real water treatment units with different hydraulic behavior at two locations in Mexico.     

Removal of Lead from Contaminated Water and Clay Soil Using a Biosurfactant

Lead removal from water and contaminated soils was investigated using biosurfactant, anionic, and nonionic surfactants in continuously stirred batch reactors. Lead-contaminated water up to 100?mg/L and clay soil up to 3,000?mg/kg were used in this investigation. The surfactant concentration up to 10 critical micelle concentration was used. The speciation of lead into the micelles was quantified and the lead removal efficiency depended on the level of contamination, surfactant type, and concentration. Of the surfactants used, biosurfactant (produced from used vegetable oil) had the best removal efficiency (75%) at a lead contamination of 100?mg/L in water at pH of over 12. The Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy study showed that the carboxyl group in the biosurfactant was effective in removing the lead from the solution. Langmuir and Freundlich relationships were used to represent the micelle partitioning of lead in the surfactant solutions. Desorption of lead from contaminated kaolinite clay was represented using linear isotherms. The biosurfactant solution had a higher micelle partitioning for the lead from contaminated water and desorbing the lead from the contaminated soil compared to the other chemical surfactants.     

Simultaneous Removal of Phenol and Nitrate in an Anaerobic Bioreactor

Phenol and nitrate are two major pollutants simultaneously occurring in several industrial wastewaters. In this study, a 110-day gradual enrichment of an anaerobic culture has been carried out at 25°C in an anaerobic bioreactor for continuously treating a synthetic wastewater containing 600?mg/L phenol and 430?mg/L?NO3?–N. The results showed that the enriched culture can utilize phenol as a sole electron donor and nitrate as a sole electron acceptor. At the end of the enrichment (on Day 110), 93.3% of phenol and 98.0% of NO3?–N were simultaneously removed at a hydraulic retention time of 20.25?h in the anaerobic bioreactor. The removal of 1?g?NO3?–N required about 3.19?g chemical oxygen demand as the electron donor. Batch tests further revealed that cresol, nitrophenol, and monochlorinated phenol (MCP) could exert detrimental influences on the treatment abilities of the enriched culture. However, the inhibitory effects of cresol were impermanent, as compared to those of nitrophenol and MCP. In order to operate the anaerobic bioreactor steadily, high concentrations of cresol should be diluted before being fed while the existence of nitrophenol and MCP in the bioreactor should be avoided.     

2,4,6 Tri-Chlorophenol Containing Wastewater Treatment Using a Hybrid-Loop Bioreactor System

A hybrid-loop bioreactor system consisting of a packed column biofilm and an aerated tank bioreactor with an effluent recycle was used for biological treatment of 2,4,6 tri-chlorophenol (TCP) containing synthetic wastewater. The effects of sludge age (solids retention time) on chemical oxygen demand (COD), TCP, and toxicity removal performance of the system were investigated for sludge ages between 5 and 30?days, while the feed COD (2600±100?mg?L?1), TCP (370±10?mg?L?1), and the hydraulic residence time (25?h) were constant. Percent TCP, COD, and toxicity removals increased with increasing sludge age resulting in nearly complete COD, TCP, and toxicity removal at sludge ages above 20?days. Biomass concentrations in the packed column and in the aeration tank increased with increasing sludge age resulting in low reactor TCP concentrations, and therefore, high TCP, COD, and toxicity removals. More than 95% of COD, TCP, and toxicity removal took place in the packed column reactor. Volumetric rates of TCP and COD removal increased due to increasing biomass and decreasing effluent TCP and COD concentrations with increasing sludge age. The specific rate of TCP removal was maximum (120?mg?TCP?gX?1?day?1) at a sludge age of 20?days. TCP inhibition was eliminated by operation of the system at sludge age above 20?days to obtain nearly complete COD, TCP, and toxicity removal.     

Optimizing Struvite Production for Phosphate Recovery in WWTP

Struvite, a crystalline structure comprised of ions of magnesium (Mg+2), ammonium (NH4–N), and phosphate (PO4–P), is commonly encountered in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) through struvite encrustation. The gradual accumulation of this crystal in pipes and fittings leads to high costs due to downtime and replacement of parts. Technologies that are used to reduce this problem are ideally located in biological nutrient removal plants downstream of anaerobic digesters, as high levels of NH4–N and PO4–P typically characterize anaerobic digester supernatants. In 2003–2004, two technical-scale, struvite recovery studies were conducted on-site at the City of Penticton, B.C., Canada and the City of Richmond, B.C., Canada using a novel technology developed by the environmental engineering group at the University of British Columbia. The results of these studies showed an average reduction of 80% in phosphate and a dense, spherical product, 5–10 times larger than any commercially available struvite to date. Overall, the recovery of struvite has enormous commercial potential, which results in WWTP becoming more sustainable, concurrently reducing problems typically associated with their operation.