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Reduction of Cr(6+) to Cr(3+) in a Packed‱Bed Bioreactor

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Abstract

Hexavalent chromium, Cr(6+), is a common and toxic pollutant in soils and waters. Reduction of the mobile Cr(6+) to the less mobile and less toxic trivalent chromium, Cr(3+), can be achieved with conventional chemical reduction technologies. Alternatively, Cr(6+) can be biochemically reduced to Cr(3+) by anaerobic microbial consortia which appear to use Cr(6+) as a terminal electron acceptor. A bioprocess for Cr(6+) reduction has been demonstrated using a packed-bed bioreactor containing ceramic packing, and then compared to a similar bioreactor containing DuPont Bio-Sep beads. An increase in volumetric productivity (from 4 mg Cr(6+)/L/h to 260 mg Cr(6+)/L/h, probably due to an increase in biomass density, was obtained using Bio-Sep beads. The beads contain internal macropores which were shown by scanning electron microscopy to house dense concentrations of bacteria. Comparisons to conventional Cr(6+) treatment technologies indicate that a bioprocess has several economic and operational advantages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, 834 15‱2203, Idaho Falls, ID

    Charles E. Turick & William A. Apel

  2. DuPont Company, Wilmington, DE

    Carl E. Camp

Authors
  1. Charles E. Turick
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  2. Carl E. Camp
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  3. William A. Apel
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Turick, C.E., Camp, C.E. & Apel, W.A. Reduction of Cr(6+) to Cr(3+) in a Packed‱Bed Bioreactor. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 63, 871–877 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02920483

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02920483

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