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Phenol Biodegradation by Pseudomonas putida in an Airlift Reactor: Assessment of Kinetic, Hydrodynamic, and Mass Transfer Parameters

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Abstract

An airlift biofilm reactor was employed to study phenol biodegradation by Pseudomonas putida. Hydrodynamic tests were also conducted in a conventional column to facilitate the comparison of the dynamic behavior in different types of columns. The three-phase airlift column offered better aeration than the conventional column as liquid and solid circulation in the downcomer favored bubble breakup, increasing oxygen dissolved in the liquid phase and favoring the phenol biodegradation process. Kinetic parameters of phenol biodegradation by P. putida were obtained in an agitated batch reactor, with the initial phenol concentration varying from 10 to 750 mg/L. Experimental data were fitted using different microbial growth models found in literature. The Yano and Koga model, which considers the formation of multiple inactive enzyme–substrate complexes, fitted well with our experimental data, with a correlation coefficient, R 2 = 0.952. An internal loop airlift bioreactor was used for aerobic phenol biodegradation in which polystyrene particles were utilized to support biomass immobilization. Several tests were performed by varying the influent phenol concentration, hydraulic retention time, upstream flow, and superficial air velocity. It was concluded that until an influent phenol concentration of approximately 300 mg/L, phenol acted as the limiting substrate. For higher phenol concentrations, oxygen became the limiting substrate. An increase in the oxygen concentration resulted in the complete consumption of phenol under high phenol concentration of 500 mg/L.

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Abbreviations

A :

cross-sectional area (m2)

C * :

saturated concentration of dissolved oxygen (mg O2/L)

C DO :

dissolved oxygen concentration (mg O2/L)

C l :

bulk concentration of dissolved oxygen (mg O2/L)

C 0 :

initial concentration of oxygen (mg O2/L)

C phenol :

phenol concentration (mg/L)

C O2 dissolved :

dissolved oxygen concentration (mg O2/L)

D C :

column diameter (m)

g :

gravity (m/s2).

H :

effective bed height (m)

H C :

column height (m)

H LA :

liquid level (m)

K i :

substrate inhibition constant (–)

K La:

volumetric gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient (s−1)

K s :

half saturation constant (mg/L)

K 1, K 2 :

substrate inhibition models constants (mg/L)

M s :

mass of solid particles (kg)

m, n :

substrate inhibition models constants (–)

R 2 :

correlation coefficient (–)

S :

substrate concentration (mg/L)

S m :

substrate concentration correspondent to the maximum specific growth rate (mg/L)

S * :

substrate inhibition models constant (mg/L)

t :

time (h)

t g :

generation time (h)

μ g :

superficial gas velocity (cm/s).

μ g * :

dimensionless gas velocity (–).

u l :

superficial liquid velocity (cm/s)

X :

dry cell concentration (g/L)

ε :

bed porosity (–)

ε g :

gas holdup (–)

ε g * :

relative gas holdup (–)

ε l :

liquid holdup (–)

μ :

specific growth rate of cells (h−1)

μ max :

maximum specific growth rate (h−1)

ρ g :

density of the gas phase (kg/m3)

ρ l :

density of the liquid phase (kg/m3)

ρ s :

density of the solid particles (kg/m3)

COD:

chemical oxygen demand

DO:

dissolved oxygen

HRT:

hydraulic retention time

OD:

optical density

RMSE:

root-mean-square error

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the CNPq—National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, CAPES—Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, and FAPESP—São Paulo Research Foundation.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, km 235, São Carlos, SP, CEP 13565-905, Brazil

    Fabiana Bogas Bertollo, Gabriela Cantarelli Lopes & Edson Luiz Silva

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  1. Fabiana Bogas Bertollo
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  3. Edson Luiz Silva
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Bertollo, F.B., Lopes, G.C. & Silva, E.L. Phenol Biodegradation by Pseudomonas putida in an Airlift Reactor: Assessment of Kinetic, Hydrodynamic, and Mass Transfer Parameters. Water Air Soil Pollut 228, 398 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3569-0

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