Cometabolic degradation of trichloroethylene in a bubble column bioscrubber

A bubble column bioreactor was used as bioscrubber to carry out a feasibility study for the cometabolic degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE). Phenol was used as cosubstrate and inducer. The bioreactor was operated like a conventional chemostat with regard to the cosubstrate and low dilution rates were used to minimize the liquid outflow. TCE degradation measurements were carried out using superficial gas velocities between 0.47and 4.07 cm s(-1) and TCE gas phase loads between 0.07 and 0.40 mg L(-1) Depending on the superficial gas velocity used, degrees of conversion between 30% and 80% were obtained. A simplified reactor model using plug flow for the gas phase, mixed flow for the liquid phase, and pseudo first order reaction kinetics for the conversionof TCE was established. The model is able to give a reasonable approximation of the experimental data. TCE degradation at the used experimental conditions is mainly limited by reaction rate rather than by mass transfer rate. The model can be used to calculate the reactor volume and the biomass concentration for a required conversion. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons Inc.