Denitrification and nitric oxide reduction in an aerobic toluene-treating biofilter.
The presence of significant denitrification activity in an aerobic toluene-treating biofilter was demonstrated under batch and flow-through conditions. N2O concentrations of 9.2 ppmv were produced by denitrifying bacteria in the presence of 15% acetylene, in a flow-through system with a bulk gas phase O2 concentration of >17%. The carbon source for denitrification was not toluene but a byproduct or metabolite of toluene catabolism. Denitrification conditions were successfully used for the reduction of 60 ppmv nitric oxide to 15 ppmv at a flow rate of 3 L min-1 (EBRT of 3 min) in a fully aerated, 17% v/v O2 (superficially aerobic) biofilter. Higher NO removal efficiency (97%) was obtained by increasing the toluene supply to the biofilter.
du Plessis
C A
CA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, California, USA. DPlessC@micro.nw.uovs.ac.za
Kinney
K A
KA
Schroeder
E D
ED
Chang
D P
DP
Scow
K M
KM
D000332:Aerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018441:Biofilms; D019149:Bioreactors; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014050:Toluene / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D014050:Toluene