Denitrification and nitric oxide reduction in an aerobic toluene-treating biofilter

  1. Chris A. du Plessis1,*,
  2. Kerry A. Kinney1,2,
  3. Edward D. Schroeder1,
  4. Daniel P. Y. Chang1,
  5. Kate M. Scow3

Article first published online: 26 MAR 2000

DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0290(19980520)58:4<408::AID-BIT8>3.0.CO;2-N

Issue

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Volume 58, Issue 4, pages 408–415, 20 May 1998

Additional Information

How to Cite

du Plessis, C. A., Kinney, K. A., Schroeder, E. D., Chang, D. P. Y. and Scow, K. M. (1998), Denitrification and nitric oxide reduction in an aerobic toluene-treating biofilter. Biotechnol. Bioeng., 58: 408–415. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0290(19980520)58:4<408::AID-BIT8>3.0.CO;2-N

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, California, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Civil Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA

  3. 3

    Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, California, USA

*Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, P.O. 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 26 MAR 2000
  2. Article first published online: 26 MAR 2000
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 28 OCT 1997
  4. Manuscript Received: 3 APR 1997

Funded by

  • South African Foundation for Research Development
  • NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program. Grant Number: P42 ESO 4699

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Keywords:

  • nitric oxide;
  • NOx;
  • flue gas;
  • denitrification;
  • aerobic;
  • biofilter;
  • aerosol;
  • biomass control

Abstract

The presence of significant denitrification activity in an aerobic toluene-treating biofilter was demonstrated under batch and flow-through conditions. N2O concentrations of 9.2 ppmv were produced by denitrifying bacteria in the presence of 15% acetylene, in a flow-through system with a bulk gas phase O2 concentration of >17%. The carbon source for denitrification was not toluene but a byproduct or metabolite of toluene catabolism. Denitrification conditions were successfully used for the reduction of 60 ppmv nitric oxide to 15 ppmv at a flow rate of 3 L min−1 (EBRT of 3 min) in a fully aerated, 17% v/v O2 (superficially aerobic) biofilter. Higher NO removal efficiency (97%) was obtained by increasing the toluene supply to the biofilter. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 58:408-415, 1998.

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