Toluene removal in an automated cyclical bioreactor

A control scheme was developed for the automation of toluene removal in a cyclical bioreactor. Toluene was added to the self-cycling fermentor by diffusion across a silicone membrane. Transient dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide evolution, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) were screened as potential control variables. Through experimentation, ORP was deemed most effective. Control algorithms based on real-time estimates of the first and second derivatives of the ORP signal were tested. Although both approaches resulted in stable operation of the reactor, average toluene removal efficiencies of 95% were realized when control was based on the second derivative. This was significantly higher than the 77% efficiencies obtained when the control scheme centered on the first derivative of the transient ORP signal. The system developed was self-regulating, ensuring that a high toluene removal rate, on the order of 1.1 g h(-1), was maintained from cycle to cycle.