title: Analysis of Metabolites and Carbon Balance in the Biofilteration of Cumene Using Loofa Sponge as Biofilter Media.
abstract: A laboratory-scale biofilter study was performed to treat cumene-inoculated mixed culture of bacterial community and loofa sponge (Luffa cylindrica) as support media for a period of 120 days in five distinct phases. The removal efficiency was obtained in the range of 40-85 % with maximum elimination capacity of 700 g m(-3) h(-1) at the inlet load of 1167 g m(-3) h(-1). The result demonstrated that loofa sponge is good support media for the removal of cumene at higher loading rates. Loofa sponge was characterized via chemical analysis and analytical techniques such as XRD; FTIR; XPS; and CHN, and the result obtained confirms its suitability as biofilter media. The SEM results of loofa with inoculum shows the formation of a biofilm layer on the surface of loofa. The GC-MS analysis of leachate confirms the presence of different organic compounds such as acetaldehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-oxopentanoic acids which are stable metabolites during cumene biodegradation. About 12.69 % of carbon present in inlet cumene was converted to biomass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Centre of Advanced Study, Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi, 221005, India.
authors.forename: Amrita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Centre of Advanced Study, Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi, 221005, India.
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Centre of Advanced Study, Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi, 221005, India. rssingh.che@itbhu.ac.in.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D029776:Luffa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D055442:Metabolome; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D002244:Carbon; C015763:cumene
keywords: Biofilter; Cumene; Elimination capacity (EC); Empty bed resistance time (EBRT); Inlet loading (IL); Loofa sponge; Removal efficiency (RE)