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A strategic approach for the design and operation of two‐phase partitioning bioscrubbers for the treatment of volatile organic compounds
Author(s) -
Yeom Sung Ho,
Daugulis Andrew J.,
Nielsen David R.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
biotechnology progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.572
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6033
pISSN - 8756-7938
DOI - 10.1002/btpr.481
Subject(s) - chemistry , benzene , solubility , phase (matter) , solvent , aqueous solution , reaction rate constant , hexadecane , chromatography , organic chemistry , kinetics , physics , quantum mechanics
A strategic approach for the design of two‐phase partitioning bioscrubbers (TPPBs) has been formulated using, as a basis, a re‐evaluation of extensive literature data available for the degradation of benzene by Achromobacter xylosoxidans Y234 in TPPBs with n ‐hexadecane as the partitioning phase. Using a previously determined maintenance coefficient for benzene, we determined that an inlet benzene loading rate of 100 mg/h requires 5,928 mg cell mass at biological steady state and 243.0 mg O 2 /h. The total oxygen‐transfer rates (TOTRs) into the TPPB increased by 83.5% with 33.3% of organic phase compared with a single aqueous phase and were significantly influenced by gas flow rate, whereas agitation has a minor affect. The fraction of organic phase used was suggested to be the primary parameter with which the TOTR into the TPPB may be altered. Although the presence of an organic solvent in the TPPB remarkably increased the TOTR, the total benzene transfer rate into the TPPB remained largely insensitive due to the intrinsic low Henry's law constant (or relatively high solubility) of benzene in water. Finally, we have integrated the elements of this analysis into a set of heuristic criteria that can serve as a guideline for the design of TPPB systems for future volatile organic compound treatment applications. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010