Thermophilic biofiltration of benzene and toluene.
In the current studies, we characterized the degradation of a hot mixture of benzene and toluene (BT) gases by a thermophilic biofilter using polyurethane as packing material and high-temperature compost as a microbial source. We also examined the effect of supplementing the biofilter with yeast extract (YE). We found that YE substantially enhanced microbial activity in the thermophilic biofilter. The degrading activity of the biofilter supplied with YE was stable during long-term operation (approximately 100 d) without accumulating excess biomass. The maximum elimination capacity (1,650 g x m(-3) h(-1)) in the biofilter supplemented with YE was 3.5 times higher than that in the biofilter without YE (470 g g x m(-3) h(-1)). At similar retention times, the capacity to eliminate BT for the YE-supplemented biofilter was higher than for previously reported mesophilic biofilters. Thus, thermophilic biofiltration can be used to degrade hydrophobic compounds such as a BT mixture. Finally, 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction-DGGE (PCR-DGGE) fingerprinting revealed that the thermophilic bacteria in the biofilter included Rubrobacter sp. and Mycobacterium sp.
Cho
Kyung-Suk
KS
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea.
Yoo
Sun-Kyung
SK
Ryu
Hee Wook
HW
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001554:Benzene / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods; D007700:Kinetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014050:Toluene / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015003:Yeasts / Q000737:chemistry
D000393:Air Pollutants; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012987:Soil; D014050:Toluene; D001554:Benzene