Two-stage dispersed-growth treatment of halogenated aliphatic compounds by cometabolism

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Environmental Science and Technology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es00020a004· OSTI ID:5469212

Alvarez-Cohen, L ^[1]; McCarty, P L ^[2]

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1. Univ. of California, Berkeley (United States)
2. Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

A two-stage bioreactor that utilizes cometabolic biotransformations for the treatment of halogenated aliphatics is proposed. Methanotrophic cells are grown in a dispersed-growth reactor in which they are contacted with the waste stream and transformation occurs. A model describing cometabolic biotransformation is used together with basic equations for design of the growth and treatment reactors to predict treatment efficiencies and to evaluate the effects of the finite transformation capacity of resting cells, electron donor supply, and product toxicity on process design. For an example treatment scenario targeting trichloroethylene (TCE), methane transfer and growth reactor size are found to dominate the system design at high contaminant concentrations, while at low concentrations, the treatment reactor size becomes more important. The results of this analysis for a two-stage suspended-growth reactor system suggest that increasing methane and oxygen mass-transfer rates, cell yield, and transformation capacity may have a greater impact on reducing overall size than would an increase in trichloroethylene transformation rate.

• OSTI ID: 5469212
• Journal Information: Environmental Science and Technology; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Science and Technology; (United States) Vol. 25:8; ISSN ESTHA; ISSN 0013-936X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320305* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Industrial Waste Management
550700 -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BACTERIA
BIODEGRADATION
BIOREACTORS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
DESIGN
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
LIQUID WASTES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METABOLISM
METHANOTROPHIC BACTERIA
MICROORGANISMS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
TOXICITY
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER
WATER TREATMENT