Vehicle Exhaust Gas Clearance by Low Temperature Plasma-Driven Nano-Titanium Dioxide Film Prepared by Radiofrequency Magnetron Sputtering

A novel plasma-driven catalysis (PDC) reactor with special structure was proposed to remove vehicle exhaust gas. The PDC reactor which consisted of three quartz tubes and two copper electrodes was a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The inner and outer electrodes firmly surrounded the outer surface of the corresponding dielectric barrier layer in a spiral way, respectively. Nano-titanium dioxide (TiO₂) film prepared by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering was coated on the outer wall of the middle quartz tube, separating the catalyst from the high voltage electrode. The spiral electrodes were designed to avoid overheating of microdischarges inside the PDC reactor. Continuous operation tests indicated that stable performance without deterioration of catalytic activity could last for more than 25 h. To verify the effectiveness of the PDC reactor, a non-thermal plasma(NTP) reactor was employed, which has the same structure as the PDC reactor but without the catalyst. The real vehicle exhaust gas was introduced into the PDC reactor and NTP reactor, respectively. After the treatment, compared with the result from NTP, the concentration of HC in the vehicle exhaust gas treated by PDC reactor reduced far more obviously while that of NO decreased only a little. Moreover, this result was explained through optical emission spectrum. The O emission lines can be observed between 870 nm and 960 nm for wavelength in PDC reactor. Together with previous studies, it could be hypothesized that O derived from catalytically O₃ destruction by catalyst might make a significant contribution to the much higher HC removal efficiency by PDC reactor. A series of complex chemical reactions caused by the multi-components mixture in real vehicle exhaust reduced NO removal efficiency. A controllable system with a real-time feedback module for the PDC reactor was proposed to further improve the ability of removing real vehicle exhaust gas.     

Quantitative comparison of stability of ANAMMOX process in different reactor configurations

A new stability evaluating system for ANAMMOX comprising three instability indices i.e. coefficient of variation ratio, coefficient of range ratio and coefficient of regression function derivative was established. Three lab-scale ANAMMOX reactors viz upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, upflow stationary fixed film (USFF) reactor and anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) were compared for their stability based on the established criterion against the hydraulic and substrate concentration shocks. The results showed that all ANAMMOX reactors under investigation were more tolerant to the hydraulic shock than substrate concentration shock. The UASB reactor was the most stable reactor configuration towards substrate concentration shock, followed by the USFF reactor and ASBR. However, the ASBR proved the most tolerant to hydraulic shock, followed by the UASB reactor and USFF reactor. In terms of stability, UASB reactor was more suitable configuration compared with USFF reactor. The instability indices proved to be effective and explicit for the evaluation of ANAMMOX systems.     

Formation of metabolites during biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor under thermophilic conditions.

Biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) was shown in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor under thermophilic conditions. The reactor was inoculated with granular biomass and fed with a synthetic medium and 3 micromol/L of a mixture of LAS with alkylchain length of 10 to 13 carbon atoms. The reactor was operated with a hydraulic retention time of 12 h with effluent recirculation in an effluent to influent ratio of 5 to 1. A sterile reactor operated in parallel revealed that sorption to sludge particles initially accounted for a major LAS removal. After 8 days of reactor operation, the removal of LAS in the reactor inoculated with active granular biomass exceeded the removal in the sterile reactor inoculated with sterile granular biomass. The effect of sorption ceased after 185 to 555 h depending on the LAS homologs. 40% of the LAS was biodegraded, and the removal rate was 0.5 x 10(-6) mol/h/mL granular biomass. Acidified effluent from the reactor was subjected to dichloromethane extraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Benzenesulfonic acid and benzaldehyde were detected in the reactor effluent from the reactor with active granular biomass but not in the sterile and unamended reactor effluent. Benzenesulfonic acid and benzaldehyde are the first identified degradation products in the anaerobic degradation of LAS.     

Production of thuringiensin from Bacillus thuringiensis using a net-draft-tube,modified airlift reactor

A net-draft-tube, modified airlift reactor and a stirred-tank reactor were used for thuringiensin production by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. darmstadiensis growing with various concentrations of molasses. The optimum concentration of molasses for thuringiensin production in both reactors was 15 g/l. There was a 6 h delay in sporulation in the modified airlift reactor compared with that in the stirred-tank reactor. Thuringiensin yield in the modified airlift reactor (2.2 g/l) was consequently higher than that in the stirred-tank reactor (1.1 g/l).     

Anaerobic treatment of baker's yeast wastewater: I. Start-up and sodium molybdate addition

The anaerobic treatment of baker's yeast wastewater was studied using an anaerobic biological contact reactor (AnRBC) and a fixed-film reactor. The AnRBC had an active biomass developed within the reactor before this study commenced; however, the fixed-film reactor was started without attached biomass in a support structure. The gas production rates obtained for the AnRBC were between 0·55 and 0·61 litre methane per litre reactor per day. However, a gas production rate of only 0·46 litre methane per litre reactor per day was achieved after a four-month operating period for the fixed-film reactor. Higher chemical oxygen demand reduction was also found in the AnRBC. The results indicated that the presence of high sulfate concentration in baker's yeast wastewater affected teh start-up process. The reactor with fully developed active biomass was less susceptible to sulfate inhibition and showed improved anaerobic digestion. Results indicate that the reactor should be innoculated by feeding nutrient-balanced substrate before it was subjected to the digestion of baker's yeast wastewater. The fixed-film reactor was also fed with the substrate contianing sodium molybdate, an inhibitor of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The results indicated that both methanogenic and sulfate-reducing bacteria were inhibited.     

In situ simultaneous organics and nitrogen removal from recycled landfill leachate using an anaerobic-aerobic process

An anaerobic-aerobic process including a fresh refuse landfill reactor as denitrifying reactor, a well-decomposed refuse reactor as methanogenesis reactor and an aerobic activated sludge reactor as nitrifying reactor was operated by leachate recirculation to remove organic and nitrogen simultaneously. The results indicated that denitrification and methanogenesis were carried out successfully in the fresh refuse and well-decomposed landfill reactors, respectively, while the nitrification of NH(4)(+)-N was performed in the aerobic reactor. The maximum organic removal rate was 1.78 kg COD/m(3)d in the well-decomposed refuse landfill reactor while the NH(4)(+)-N removal rate was 0.18 kg NH(4)(+)-N/m(3)d in the aerobic reactor. The biogas from fresh refuse reactors and well-decomposed refuse landfill reactors were consisted of mainly carbon dioxide and methane, respectively. The volume fraction of N(2) increased with the increase of NO(3)(-)-N concentration and decreased with the drop of NO(3)(-)-N concentration. The denitrifying bacteria mustered mainly in middle layer and the denitrifying bacteria population had a good correlation with NO(3)(-)-N concentration.     

Design and analysis of a solar reactor for anaerobic wastewater treatment

The aim of this research was to design a solar heated reactor system to enhance the anaerobic treatment of wastewater or biological sludge at temperatures higher than the ambient air temperature. For the proposed reactor system, the solar energy absorbed by flat plate collectors was transferred to a heat storage tank, which continuously supplied an anaerobic-filter reactor with water at a maximum temperature of 35 degrees C. The packed reactor was a metallic cylindrical tank with a peripheral twin-wall enclosure. Inside this enclosure was circulated warm water from the heat storage tank. Furthermore, a mathematical model was developed for the prediction of the temperature distribution within the reactor under steady state conditions. Preliminary results based on model simulations performed with meteorological data from various geographical regions of the world suggested that the proposed solar reactor system could be a promising and environmentally friendly approach for anaerobic treatment of wastewater and biological sludge.     

Influence of a supplemental carbon source on anaerobic dechlorination of pentachlorophenol in granular sludge.

Anaerobic dechlorination of pentachlorophenol (PCP) was studied in two upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors. One reactor received glucose (0.9 g liter-1) as an additional carbon source; the other one served as a control. The concentration of PCP in the medium was 4.5 and 3.0 mg liter-1 in the experimental and control reactors, respectively. The reactors were inoculated with granular sludge previously grown on sugar-containing wastewater. After 10 months of continuous operation, the removal of PCP was 99% in the glucose-amended reactor, whereas the removal in the control reactor varied between 32 and 77%. Furthermore, 94% of the PCP was completely dechlorinated in the glucose reactor compared with a maximum of 20% in the control reactor. In the same period, the amount of biomass in the glucose reactor had increased by approximately 150% compared with that in the control reactor, where no growth of the sludge bed occurred. Batch culture activity tests showed that the addition of glucose had a stimulatory effect on the dechlorination rate of PCP per gram of volatile solids. This indicated that the better performance of the glucose-amended reactor was due to a higher concentration of biomass and a direct stimulatory effect of glucose on the dechlorination rate. The pattern of dechlorination of PCP showed that an initial para cleavage was followed by two ortho cleavages.     

Influence of a supplemental carbon source on anaerobic dechlorination of pentachlorophenol in granular sludge.

Anaerobic dechlorination of pentachlorophenol (PCP) was studied in two upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors. One reactor received glucose (0.9 g liter-1) as an additional carbon source; the other one served as a control. The concentration of PCP in the medium was 4.5 and 3.0 mg liter-1 in the experimental and control reactors, respectively. The reactors were inoculated with granular sludge previously grown on sugar-containing wastewater. After 10 months of continuous operation, the removal of PCP was 99% in the glucose-amended reactor, whereas the removal in the control reactor varied between 32 and 77%. Furthermore, 94% of the PCP was completely dechlorinated in the glucose reactor compared with a maximum of 20% in the control reactor. In the same period, the amount of biomass in the glucose reactor had increased by approximately 150% compared with that in the control reactor, where no growth of the sludge bed occurred. Batch culture activity tests showed that the addition of glucose had a stimulatory effect on the dechlorination rate of PCP per gram of volatile solids. This indicated that the better performance of the glucose-amended reactor was due to a higher concentration of biomass and a direct stimulatory effect of glucose on the dechlorination rate. The pattern of dechlorination of PCP showed that an initial para cleavage was followed by two ortho cleavages.     

Fed-batch culture of Bacillus thuringiensis for thuringiensin production in a tower type bioreactor

Fed-batch culture of Bacillus thuringiensis in a modified airlift reactor has been developed by using adaptive control of glucose concentration in the reactor. The glucose concentration was estimated via a correlation equation between carbon dioxide production rate and glucose consumption rate. The estimated glucose concentration as the output variable was fed back to computer for calculation of substrate addition. The modified reactor was an airlift reactor with a net draft tube. The airlift reactor had high oxygen transfer rate and low shear stress which were important factors for production of thuringiensin. Fed-batch culture of Bacillus thuringiensis in the modified airlift reactor provided significant improvement of thuringiensin production. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Scopolamine release into media by Duboisia leichhardtii hairy root clones

Summary The hairy root clones of Duboisia leichhardtii were found to release scopolamine into the medium. Among media examined, a modified Heller's medium that had 37 mm nitrate and no ammonium was suitable for scopolamine release. Scopolamine in the medium was efficiently recovered by the use of an Amberlite XAD-2 column. A reactor system consisting of a 2-1 airlift reactor and a 25-ml column packed with Amberlite XAD-2 was constructed for production of scopolamine by the culture of the hairy root clone. The culture medium was passed through the column and the eluent from the column was back into the reactor continuously by using a low-pressure pump. When the hairy root clone DL47-1 was cultured in the reactor, 245 mg/l of scopolamine was released into the medium during 6 weeks and 97% scopolamine in the medium was recovered by the column. The scopolamine production was about five times higher in the column-combined reactor than in the reactor without the column. Scopolamine was recovered as the hydrobromide salt with more than 90% purity. Correspondence to: T. Muranaka     

Prevention of clogging in a biological trickle-bed reactor removing toluene from contaminated air

Removal of organic compounds like toluene from waste gases with a trickle-bed reactor can result in clogging of the reactor due to the formation of an excessive amount of biomass. We therefore limited the amount of nutrients available for growth, to prevent clogging of the reactor. As a consequence of this nutrient limitation a lower removal rate was observed. However, when a fungal culture was used to inoculate the reactor, the toluene removal rate under nutrient limiting conditions was higher. Over a period of 375 days, an average removal rate of 27 g C/(m(3) h) was obtained with the reactor inoculated with the fungal culture. From the carbon balance over the reactor and the nitrogen availability it was concluded that, under these nutrient-limited conditions, large amounts of carbohydrates are probably formed. We also studied the application of a NaOH wash to remove excess biomass, as a method to prevent clogging. Under these conditions an average toluene removal rate of 35 g C/(m(3) h) was obtained. After about 50 days there was no net increase in the biomass content of the reactor. The amount of biomass which was formed in the reactor equaled the amount removed by the NaOH wash. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Development of a simultaneous partial nitrification and anaerobic ammonia oxidation process in a single reactor

Up-flow oxygen-controlled biofilm reactors equipped with a non-woven fabric support were used as a single reactor system for autotrophic nitrogen removal based on a combined partial nitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) reaction. The up-flow biofilm reactors were initiated as either a partial nitrifying reactor or an anammox reactor, respectively, and simultaneous partial nitrification and anammox was established by careful control of the aeration rate. The combined partial nitrification and anammox reaction was successfully developed in both biofilm reactors without additional biomass inoculation. The reactor initiated as the anammox reactor gave a slightly higher and more stable mean nitrogen removal rate of 0.35 (± 0.19) kg-N m⁻³ d⁻¹ than the reactor initiated as the partial nitrifying reactor (0.23 (± 0.16) kg-N m⁻³ d⁻¹). FISH analysis revealed that the biofilm in the reactor started as the anammox reactor were composed of anammox bacteria located in inner anoxic layers that were surrounded by surface aerobic AOB layers, whereas AOB and anammox bacteria were mixed without a distinguishable niche in the biofilm in the reactor started as the partial nitrifying reactor. However, it was difficult to efficiently maintain the stable partial nitrification owing to inefficient aeration in the reactor, which is a key to development of the combined partial nitrification and anammox reaction in a single biofilm reactor.     

Development of a Polyaniline-coated Monolith Reactor for the Synthesis of Cephalexin Using Penicillin G Acylase Aggregates

A monolith reactor for the synthesis of cephalexin was developed using capillary columns. The micro channel in the monolith reactor was coated with polyaniline (PANI), and penicillin G acylase was aggregated with PANI using 0.5% of glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. The developed monolith reactor exhibited many advantages over other enzyme reactors such as batch and continuous reactors. It showed fast enzyme reaction rates owing to the decrease in external mass transfer and internal diffusion limitations. The reactor can easily be scaled up by bundling together multiple monolith reactors, enabling a corresponding increase in feed rate. Furthermore, the monolith reactor showed good operational stability, with 95% of its original activity maintained after 48 h of continuous operation. The PANI coating on the surface of the capillary column increased the enzyme immobilization capacity and conversion was increased from 15.4% to 70.6% after PANI coating. The conversion ratio increased to approximately 70.6% with an increase in residence time and reactor length.     

A dual purpose packed-bed reactor for biogas scrubbing and methane-dependent water quality improvement applying to a wastewater treatment system consisting of UASB reactor and trickling filter

A wastewater treatment system employing a UASB reactor in temperate regions requires biogas as a heat source for the UASB reactor during low temperature seasons. In this case, removal of H2S in the biogas by means of a scrubber before burning is necessary in order to prevent the boilers from corroding. Heating of the UASB reactor is, however, unnecessary in a warm season, and the scrubber and biogas become useless. Methane-dependent water quality improvement using the scrubber and biogas would be one way to use them efficiently during the warm season. The possible dual-purpose use of a packed-bed reactor was examined, with one of its uses being the scrubbing of biogas during the cold season and the other being the methane-dependent improvement of effluent water quality during the warm season. A bench scale packed-bed filled with plastic latticed-ring media was installed in a livestock wastewater treatment plant consisting of a UASB reactor and a trickling filter for post-treatment. The packed-bed was operated with biogas flowing at a superficial velocity of 0.14-0.39 m h(-1) and the hydraulic loading of trickling filter effluent sprayed onto the media 9.4-26.1 m3 m2 day(-1). H2S in the biogas from the UASB reactor was reduced from 1,200-2,500 ppm to less than 2 ppm by the reactor. Methane-dependent water quality improvement was examined using a laboratory scale reactor to which methane and/or air was supplied from the bottom, while plant effluent was spread from the top of the reactor. When the mixture gas of methane and air (volume ratio 1:3) was added to the reactor, biofilm grew on the surface of the media. Accompanying this growth, ammonium and phosphate in the spread water decreased, probably due to assimilation by the methane-oxidizing bacteria. Though assimilation activity dropped after the accumulation of biomass, it could be reactivated by washing out the excess biomass. Periodical backwash at a rate of more than once a week seemed to efficiently maintain the removal activity. The dark brown color of the wastewater could be also reduced in concert with methane oxidation. It seemed that methane-oxidizing bacteria degraded color-causing compounds. These results suggest that the packed-bed reactor is useful for both H2S purification of biogas and methane-dependent effluent water quality improvement.     

Substrate-substrate interaction of resorcinol and catechol in upflow anaerobic fixed film – fixed bed reactors in mono and multisubstrate matrices

Biodegradation of resorcinol and catechol was studied in upflow anaerobic fixed film-fixed bed (FFFB) reactors of uniform dimensions in mono and multisubstrate matrices. Cross feeding studies have revealed that phenol was poorly degraded in resorcinol acclimated reactor whereas it was readily degraded in catechol acclimated reactor. Addition of resorcinol along with phenol in a COD ratio 1:3 in resorcinol reactor increased phenol removal efficiency to 95% indicating that resorcinol induces phenol degradation. When both resorcinol and catechol were fed to the resorcinol acclimated reactor, it was observed that resorcinol degradation was inhibited by catechol. Catechol acclimated reactor could degrade phenol readily when added as mono substrate indicating that it may be an intermediate in catechol degradation. In binary mixture studies also catechol reactor could degrade phenol, resorcinol and hydroquinone to 90%. Catechol acclimated reactor exhibits relaxed substrate specificity whereas resorcinol acclimated reactor exhibits rigid substrate specificity for phenol as well as other isomers.     

Desulfitobacterium hafniense is present in a high proportion within the biofilms of a high-performance pentachlorophenol-degrading, methanogenic fixed-film reactor

We developed a pentachlorophenol (PCP)-degrading, methanogenic fixed-film reactor by using broken granular sludge from an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. This methanogenic consortium was acclimated with increasing concentrations of PCP. After 225 days of acclimation, the reactor was performing at a high level, with a PCP removal rate of 1,173 muM day(-1), a PCP removal efficiency of up to 99%, a degradation efficiency of approximately 60%, and 3-chlorophenol as the main chlorophenol residual intermediate. Analyses by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that Bacteria and Archaea in the reactor stabilized in the biofilms after 56 days of operation. Important modifications in the profiles of Bacteria between the original granular sludge and the reactor occurred, as less than one-third of the sludge DGGE bands were still present in the reactor. Fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments with probes for Archaea or Bacteria revealed that the biofilms were composed mostly of Bacteria, which accounted for 70% of the cells. With PCR species-specific primers, the presence of the halorespiring bacterium Desulfitobacterium hafniense in the biofilm was detected very early during the reactor acclimation period. D. hafniense cells were scattered in the biofilm and accounted for 19% of the community. These results suggest that the presence of PCP-dehalogenating D. hafniense in the biofilm was crucial for the performance of the reactor.     

Production of calcium gluconate by fermentation.

Calcium gluconate production by Aspergillus niger was investigated in shake flask, rolling shaker, air-lift reactor and stirred reactor. Growth pattern of the organism and fermentation conditions determined the yield of the product. High calcium gluconate production was achieved in air-lift reactor with pellet form of cell growth at moderate specific growth rate and biomass concentration. In another variation of air-lift reactor, when calcium carbonate was confined to a cellulose membrane, calcium gluconate production was maximum (149 g/L). At higher specific growth rate, obtained in shake flask, despite the formation of cell pellets, product formation was low. Physical separation of particulate calcium carbonate and growing cells favoured product formation. In stirred reactor pulpy mycelial growth was obtained and calcium gluconate production was poor.     

Monitoring the formation of an Aureobasidium pullulans biofilm in a bead-packed reactor via flow-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

The biofilm-forming fungus, Aureobasidium pullulans DSM 2404, was grown in a bead-packed reactor. Alterations within the reactor were analysed in several cross-sectional slices by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with flow contrast. For the first time, biofilm accumulation could be continuously elucidated without using any contrast agents, and the non-stationary flow through the fixed-bed reactor could be visualized. The results indicate that the non-stationary flow through the biofilm reactor changes significantly due to the changing reactor morphology. Preferential flow lines arise during biofilm formation. The accumulation of the biomass was determined and compared to gravimetrical biomass data. The described technique can be used to monitor hydrodynamic transport, and to combine flow-field characteristics with morphological data for the prediction of undesirable reactor processes, e.g. clogging.     

A novel enzyme reactor using gluten membrane entrapping cell-associated enzyme.

A membrane enzyme reactor consisting of variable pieces of replaceable cell-immobilized membranes was proposed for the continuous production of bioproducts. To demonstrate the characteristics of the reactor, cell-immobilized membranes were prepared by the entrapment of permeabilized recombinant Escherichia coli cells containing penicillin G acylase within the gluten matrices. A stainless-steel net that was created with a mesh frame was used to support each gluten membrane so that the membranes could be filled into the rectangular-shaped reactor. The reactor equipped with either six or 12 pieces of cell-immobilized gluten membranes containing a biomass concentration of 5%, w/w was effective in catalyzing the production of 6-aminopenicillanic acid from penicillin G. In comparison with intact cells, the cell-immobilized preparation was more stable and the half-life time of the immobilized cell-associate enzyme in gluten membrane was estimated to be 36 days by a long-term operation. As the substrate solution was forced to flow through the reactor equipped with six membranes and in the direction perpendicular to the membranes, the pressure drop was determined to be less than 50 cm H(2)O with a flow-rate up to 50 mL/min. This low pressure due to the porous structure of gluten membrane would lead to a lower operational cost. Increasing either the number of membranes or the area of each cell-immobilized membrane can easily do scaling-up of this membrane reactor.