Summary
This paper reports experiments on the purification of exhaust air containing organic pollutants by a new biological process using a trickle-bed reactor. Pollutant-specific microorganisms in high concentration were fixed to a suitable bed. The absorption and conversion of propionaldehyde as a model pollutant was measured by systematic variation of the gas and liquid flow rates in the reaction system. At a space velocity of 1000 h−1, it was possible to achieve conversion rates of between 68 and 96%, depending on the trickling density. The degradation capacity of the biological trickle bed is over 500 g propionaldehyde/m3 of reactor per hour. By using a tube bundle (honeycomb tube), it was possible to ensure continuous operation of the reactor with reduced conversion and pressure loss.
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Dedicated to Professor Dr. Dr. D. Behrens on the occasion of 65th birthday
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Kirchner, K., Gossen, C.A. & Rehm, HJ. Purification of exhaust air containing organic pollutants in a trickle-bed bioreactor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 35, 396–400 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00172732
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00172732