Kerry A. Kinney

Effect of vapor-phase bioreactor operation on biomass accumulation, distribution, and activity: Linking biofilm properties to bioreactor performance

Excess biomass accumulation and activity loss in vapor‐phase bioreactors (VPBs) can lead to unreliable long‐term operation. In this study, temporal and spatial variations in biomass accumulation, distribution and activity in VPBs treating toluene‐contaminated air were monitored over a 96‐day period. Two laboratory‐scale bioreactors were subjected to a toluene loading rate of 45.8 g/m3‐h with one VPB operating in a unidirectional (UD) mode and a second identical VPB operating in a directionally switching (DS) mode. In the UD bioreactor, the contaminated air stream was continuously fed to the bottom of the reactor, while, in the DS bioreactor, the direction of the contaminated gas flow was reversed every three days. Overall, the DS system performed better with respect to biomass distribution and microbial activity across the bioreactor, resulting in more stable bioreactor performance. In contrast, most of the biomass accumulation and activity was confined to the front half of the UD bioreactor column which caused high pressure drops, rapid activity loss and eventually toluene breakthrough. A carbon balance reveals that excess biomass accumulated continuously in both bioreactors, and biomass yield coefficients were very similar (0.59 g dry biomass/g toluene for the UD and 0.63 g dry biomass/g toluene for the DS). The viable biomass population remained relatively constant in both bioreactors over the operational period, while the inactive biomass fraction steadily increased over the same time frame. Biodegradation activity determined by the dehydrogenase enzyme activity assay was found to be a function of biomass accumulation and reflected pollutant removal profiles along the columns. In addition, biomass activity correlated well with the toluene‐degrading fraction of the total bacterial population.

Control of dichloromethane emissions using biofiltration

Abstract Inhibition has been observed in biofilters when multiple substrates are present in the inlet gases. This research evaluated the effects of toluene on the acclimation of microbial populations and biodegradation rate of dichloromethane in a compost biofilter. Experiments were performed in a laboratory scale biofiltration system. Greater than 98% removal efficiency was achieved for dichloromethane under the experimental conditions (1 min residence time and inlet concentrations of 3 and 40 ppm). Although acclimation to toluene occurred within two weeks of system start‐up, initial dichloromethane acclimation took place over a period of ten weeks. When a laboratory‐grown consortium of dichloromethane‐degrading organisms was introduced into fresh biofilter media, a 2–7 week acclimation period was still observed. The presence of toluene in the inlet gas stream inhibited dichloromethane degradation only when present at a high concentration. Overall dichloromethane removal remained constant as long as ther...

Long Term Field Development of a Surfactant Modified Zeolite/Vapor Phase Bioreactor System for Treatment of Produced Waters for Power Generation

The main goal of this research was to investigate the feasibility of using a combined physicochemical/biological treatment system to remove the organic constituents present in saline produced water. In order to meet this objective, a physical/chemical adsorption process was developed and two separate biological treatment techniques were investigated. Two previous research projects focused on the development of the surfactant modified zeolite adsorption process (DE-AC26-99BC15221) and development of a vapor phase biofilter (VPB) to treat the regeneration off-gas from the surfactant modified zeolite (SMZ) adsorption system (DE-FC26-02NT15461). In this research, the SMZ/VPB was modified to more effectively attenuate peak loads and to maintain stable biodegradation of the BTEX constituents from the produced water. Specifically, a load equalization system was incorporated into the regeneration flow stream. In addition, a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system was tested for its ability to simultaneously remove the aromatic hydrocarbon and carboxylate components from produced water. The specific objectives related to these efforts included the following: (1) Optimize the performance VPBs treating the transient loading expected during SMZ regeneration: (a) Evaluate the impact of biofilter operating parameters on process performance under stable operating conditions. (b) Investigate how transient loads affect biofilter performance, and identify an appropriate technology to improve biological treatment performance during the transient regeneration period of an SMZ adsorption system. (c) Examine the merits of a load equalization technology to attenuate peak VOC loads prior to a VPB system. (d) Evaluate the capability of an SMZ/VPB to remove BTEX from produced water in a field trial. (2) Investigate the feasibility of MBR treatment of produced water: (a) Evaluate the biodegradation of carboxylates and BTEX constituents from synthetic produced water in a laboratory-scale MBR. (b) Evaluate the capability of an SMZ/MBR system to remove carboxylates and BTEX from produced water in a field trial. Laboratory experiments were conducted to provide a better understanding of each component of the SMZ/VPB and SMZ/MBR process. Laboratory VPB studies were designed to address the issue of influent variability and periodic operation (see DE-FC26-02NT15461). These experiments examined multiple influent loading cycles and variable concentration loadings that simulate air sparging as the regeneration option for the SMZ system. Two pilot studies were conducted at a produced water processing facility near Farmington, New Mexico. The first field test evaluated SMZ adsorption, SMZ regeneration, VPB buffering, and VPB performance, and the second test focused on MBR and SMZ/MBR operation. The design of the field studies were based on the results from the previous field tests and laboratory studies. Both of the biological treatment systems were capable of removing the BTEX constituents in the laboratory and in the field over a range of operating conditions. For the VPB, separation of the BTEX constituents from the saline aqueous phase yielded high removal efficiencies. However, carboxylates remained in the aqueous phase and were not removed in the combined VPB/SMZ system. In contrast, the MBR was capable of directly treating the saline produced water and simultaneously removing the BTEX and carboxylate constituents. The major limitation of the MBR system is the potential for membrane fouling, particularly when the system is treating produced water under field conditions. The combined process was able to effectively pretreat water for reverse osmosis treatment and subsequent downstream reuse options including utilization in power generation facilities. The specific conclusions that can be drawn from this study are summarized.