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Denitrification and nitric oxide reduction in an aerobic toluene‐treating biofilter
Author(s) -
du Plessis Chris A.,
Kinney Kerry A.,
Schroeder Edward D.,
Chang Daniel P. Y.,
Scow Kate M.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0290(19980520)58:4<408::aid-bit8>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - biofilter , denitrification , toluene , denitrifying bacteria , chemistry , environmental chemistry , aerobic denitrification , inorganic chemistry , environmental engineering , nitrogen , organic chemistry , environmental science
The presence of significant denitrification activity in an aerobic toluene‐treating biofilter was demonstrated under batch and flow‐through conditions. N 2 O concentrations of 9.2 ppm v were produced by denitrifying bacteria in the presence of 15% acetylene, in a flow‐through system with a bulk gas phase O 2 concentration of >17%. The carbon source for denitrification was not toluene but a byproduct or metabolite of toluene catabolism. Denitrification conditions were successfully used for the reduction of 60 ppm v nitric oxide to 15 ppm v at a flow rate of 3 L min −1 (EBRT of 3 min) in a fully aerated, 17% v/v O 2 (superficially aerobic) biofilter. Higher NO removal efficiency (97%) was obtained by increasing the toluene supply to the biofilter. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 58:408‐415, 1998.