title: A hollow-fiber membrane bioreactor for the removal of trichloroethylene from the vapor phase.
abstract: A hollow-fiber membrane bioreactor was used to separate trichloroethylene (TCE) from a gaseous waste stream with subsequent cometabolic biodegradation by a pure culture of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b PP358. The two-stage bioreactor system was successfully operated for 20 days. PP358 was grown in a continuous-flow chemostat and circulated through the fiber lumen of a hollow-fiber membrane module (HFMM), while TCE contaminated air (141 to 191 microg/L) was pumped through the HFMM shell. Between 54% -84% TCE transfer and 92%-96% TCE cometabolism were obtained in the HFMM reactor loop. Short shell-residence times, 1.6 to 5.0 minutes, demonstrated quick throughput of TCE contaminated air. Best-fit computer modeling of the biological experiments estimated mass transfer coefficients between 2.0 x 10(-3) cm/min and 5.6 x 10(-3) cm/min. The average pseudo-first-order biodegradation rate constant for the biological experiments was 0.46 L/mg TSS/d. These results demonstrate that the hollow-fiber membrane bioreactor represents an attractive technology for the bioremediation of gaseous waste streams.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, USA.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Pressman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Speitel
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019149:Bioreactors; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D020602:Methylosinus trichosporium / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D014241:Trichloroethylene / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D014241:Trichloroethylene