title: Reduction of Cr(6+) to Cr(3 +) in a packed-bed bioreactor.
abstract: Hexavalent chromium, Cr(6+), is a common and toxic pollutant in soils and waters. Reduction of the mobile Cr(6+) to the less mobile and less toxic trivalent chromium, Cr(3+), can be achieved with conventional chemical reduction technologies. Alternatively, Cr(6+) can be biochemically reduced to Cr(3+) by anaerobic microbial consortia which appear to use Cr(6+) as a terminal electron acceptor. A bioprocess for Cr(6+) reduction has been demonstrated using a packed-bed bioreactor containing ceramic packing, and then compared to a similar bioreactor containing DuPont Bio-Sep beads. An increase in volumetric productivity (from 4 mg Cr(6+)/L/h to 260 mg Cr(6+)/L/h, probably due to an increase in biomass density, was obtained using Bio-Sep beads. The beads contain internal macropores which were shown by scanning electron microscopy to house dense concentrations of bacteria. Comparisons to conventional Cr(6+) treatment technologies indicate that a bioprocess has several economic and operational advantages.
authors.affiliation: Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-2203, USA.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Turick
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Camp
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Apel