Tapered fluidized bed bioreactor for environmental control and fuel production

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5061202

Scott, C. D.; Hancher, C. W.; Arcuri, E. J.

Fluidized bed bioreactors are under development for use in environmental control and energy production. The most effective systems utilize a tapered portion either throughout the column or at the top of the column. This taper allows a wide range of operating conditions without loss of the fluidized particulates, and in general, results in more stable operation. The system described here utilize fixed films of microorganisms that have attached themselves to the fluidized particles. Preliminary investigations of the attachment indicate that reactor performance is related to film thickness. The biological denitrification of aqueous waste streams is typical of processes under development that utilize fluidized bed bioreactors. This development has progressed to the pilot plant scale where two 20-cm-diam x 800-cm fluidized beds in series accept aqueous wastes with nitrate concentrations as high as 10,000 mg/l and denitrification rates greater than 50 g/l/day using residence times of less than 30 minutes in each reactor. Other applications include aerobic degradation of phenolic wastes at rates greater than 25 g/l/day and the conversion of glucose to ethanol.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5061202
• Report Number(s): CONF-800739--2(Draft)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320305 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Industrial Waste Management
550700* -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ALCOHOLS
AROMATICS
BACTERIA
BIODEGRADATION
BIOSYNTHESIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
DECOMPOSITION
DENITRIFICATION
ETHANOL
FILMS
FLUIDIZED BED
FUNGI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IMMOBILIZED CELLS
LIQUID WASTES
MICROORGANISMS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHENOLS
PLANTS
PSEUDOMONAS
SACCHAROMYCES
SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE
SYNTHESIS
USES
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER
YEASTS