Abstract
Hexane is a toxic volatile organic compound that is quite abundant in gas emissions from chemical industries and printing press and painting centers, and it is necessary to treat these airstreams before they discharge into the atmosphere. This article presents a treatment for hexane-contaminated air in steady-state conditions using an internal-loop airlift bioreactor inoculated with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain. Bioprocesses were conducted at 20-mL/min, a load of 1.26 g/m3 of C6H14, and a temperature of 28°C. The results of hexane removal efficiencies were presented as a function of the inoculum size (approx 0.07 and 0.2 g/L) and cell reuse. Bioprocess monitoring comprises quantification of the biomass, the surface tension of the medium, and the hexane concentration in the fermentation medium as well as in the inlet and outlet airstreams. The steady-state results suggest that the variation in inoculum size from 0.07 to 0.2 g/L promotes hexane abatement from the influent from 65 to 85%, respectively. Total hydrocarbon removal from the waste gas was achieved during experiments conducted using reused cells at an initial microbial concentration of 0.2 g/L.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ayres, J. G. (1996), Chem. Ind. 21, 827–830.
Devinny, J. S., Deshusses, M. A., and Webster, T. S. (1999), Biofiltration for Air Pollution Control, Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL.
Hardman, J. G., Lee, E. L., and Gilman, A. G. (1999), Goodman and Gilman’s the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, McGraw Hill, New York.
Arulneyam, D. and Swaminathan, T. (2000), Bioprocess. Eng. 22, 63–67.
Lu, C., Lin, M., and Wey, I. (2001), J. Environ. Eng. 127(10), 946–951.
Popov, V. O. and Bezborodov, A. M. (1999), Appl. Biochem. Microbiol. 35(5), 570–577.
Vanderberg-Twary, L., Steenhoudt, K., Travis, B. J, Hannes, J. L., Foreman, M., and Brainard, J. R. (1997), Biotechnol. Bioeng. 55(1), 163–169.
Deshusses, M. A. (1997), Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 8, 335–339.
Iida, M., Yamamoto, H., and Sobue, I. (1973), Igaku No Ayumi 84, 199–201.
Oliveira, F. J. S. and deFrança, F. P (2003), Innovacion. 15(2), 25–31.
Balba, M. T., Al-Awadhi, N., and Al-Daher, R. (1998), J. Microbiol. Methods 32, 155–164.
Cunha C. D. and Leite S. G. F. (2000), Braz. J. Microbiol. 31(1), 2–9.
Mulligan, C. N., Yong, R. N., and Gibbs, B. F. (2001), Eng. Geol. 60, 371–380.
Alexander, M. (1994), Biodegradation and Bioremediation, Academic, New York.
Spigno, G., Pagella, C., Fumi, M. D., Molteni, R., and deFaveri, D. M. (2003), Chem. Eng. J. 58, 739–746.
Kastner, J. R., Thompson, D. N., and Cherry, R. S. (1999), Enzyme Microb. Technol. 24, 104–110.
Kibazohi, O., Yun, S., and Anderson, W. A. (2004), World J. Microb. Biotechnol. 20, 337–343.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Oliveira, F.J.S., de França, F.P. Performance of an internal-loop airlift bioreactor for treatment of hexane-contaminated air. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 122, 581–591 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1385/ABAB:122:1-3:0581
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/ABAB:122:1-3:0581