Bioremediation of industrial VOC air pollutants

Abstract

An External Loop Airlift Bioreactor with a small amount (99% porosity) of stainless steel mesh packing inserted in the riser section was used for bioremediation of a phenol polluted air stream. The packing enhanced VOC and oxygen mass transfer rates and provided a large surface area for cell immobilization. Using a pure strain of Pseudomonas putida, fed-batch and continuous runs at three different dilution rates were completed with phenol in the polluted air as the only source of growth substrate. 100% phenol removal was achieved at phenol loading rates up to 33120 mg/h.m3 using only one third of the column, superior to any previously reported biodegradation rates of phenol polluted air with 100% efficiency. A mathematical model has been developed and is shown to accurately predict the transient and steady state data.