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Study of phenol biodegradation in different agitation systems and fixed bed column: experimental, mathematical modeling, and numerical simulation

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Abstract

Phenol degradation was studied in two different agitation systems in a batc h reactor (mechanical agitation and orbital agitation) and the support of the most efficient system was used for fixed bed bioreactor studies. The support used was coconut shell charcoal. The results showed that the mechanical agitation bioreactor was more effective in phenol removal, due to the amount of biomass adhered to the support (8.56 mg gsupport−1), running at approximately 100% of the phenol biodegradation in 300 min. The toxicity analysis of the waters was moderate, because the EC50,48h values in the analyzed samples are higher than 50%. Within the experimental data obtained from the batch system, it was possible to find the parameters of the kinetic model of Michaelis-Menten, which was used to simulate the bioreactor in a fixed bed. A mathematical model of a one-equation, which considers the effects of dispersion, convection, and reaction in the liquid phase, and diffusion and reaction inside the biofilm was used and the results obtained through numerical simulation were compared with the experimental results of the bioreactor in a fixed bed, and new operational conditions in the bed were simulated with good accuracy.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the research support foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul FAPERGS (grant no. 191/UFFS/2018).

Funding

This study was funded by the foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul FAPERGS (grant no. 191/UFFS/2018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Post-Graduate Program in Science and Environmental Technology, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, ERS 135-Km 72, No 200, PO Box 764, Erechim, RS, 99700-970, Brazil

    Heraldo Baialardi Ribeiro & Gean Delise Leal Pasquali Vargas

  2. Environmental and Sanitary Engineering Department, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, ERS 135-Km 72, No 200, PO Box 764, Erechim, RS, 99700-970, Brazil

    Josiane Bampi, Taina Cristini da Silva, Adriana Dervanoski & Cristiane Funghetto Fuzinatto

  3. Agronomy Department, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, ERS 135-Km 72, No 200, PO Box 764, Erechim, RS, 99700-970, Brazil

    Paola Mendes Milanesi

  4. Post-Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Post-Graduate Program in Technology and Management of the Innovation, Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó – Unochapecó, Chapecó, Brazil

    Josiane Maria Muneron de Mello

  5. Post-Graduate Program in Food Science and Technology, University of Santa Catarina State, BR 282 km 573, Pinhalzinho, SC, 89870-000, Brazil

    Cleuzir da Luz

Authors
  1. Heraldo Baialardi Ribeiro
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  2. Josiane Bampi
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Correspondence to Adriana Dervanoski.

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Ribeiro, H.B., Bampi, J., da Silva, T.C. et al. Study of phenol biodegradation in different agitation systems and fixed bed column: experimental, mathematical modeling, and numerical simulation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 45250–45269 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10380-4

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