Related Experiment Videos
Polymer development for enhanced delivery of phenol in a solid-liquid two-phase partitioning bioreactor
George P Prpich1, Andrew J Daugulis
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada.
Biotechnology Progress
|December 4, 2004
Summary
New polymer beads offer enhanced phenol removal in Two-Phase Partitioning Bioreactors (TPPBs). Hytrel beads show higher capacity and faster uptake/release than traditional EVA, enabling efficient degradation in mixed microbial cultures.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Environmental Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Two-Phase Partitioning Bioreactors (TPPBs) traditionally use organic solvents to manage toxic xenobiotics but are limited to pure microbial cultures due to solvent bioavailability.
- Solid polymer beads offer an alternative to liquid organic solvents, enabling the use of mixed microbial populations in TPPBs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify a polymer with superior capacity and faster uptake/release kinetics for phenol, suitable for use as the second phase in mixed-culture TPPBs.
- To evaluate the performance of selected polymer beads in TPPB systems for phenol degradation.
Main Methods:
- Candidate polymers were screened based on polarity and hydrogen bonding with phenol.
- Hytrel polymer beads were characterized for phenol absorption capacity and diffusivity.
- Hytrel beads were tested in TPPBs using various substrate feeding strategies.
Main Results:
- Hytrel beads demonstrated a higher phenol capacity (19 mg/g) and diffusivity (1.54 x 10(-7) cm2/s) compared to EVA beads (12.4 mg/g and 3.73 x 10(-9) cm2/s).
- TPPBs utilizing Hytrel beads achieved rapid and complete phenol degradation under fed-batch, bead replacement, and concentrated spike conditions.
Conclusions:
- Hytrel polymer beads are effective for phenol sequestration and delivery in mixed-culture TPPBs.
- The improved properties of Hytrel beads enhance the efficiency of xenobiotic degradation in bioreactor systems.