Arsenite oxidation by immobilized cells of Alcaligenes faecalis strain O1201 in a fluidized-bed reactor

Arsenic(III) oxidation was evaluated in a continuous-flow fluidized-bed reactor (FBR) with Alcaligenes faecalis strain 01201 immobilized in gel beads. The FBR was operated under 300 mg/L citrate and a range of influent As(III) concentrations (75 to 3000 mg/L) at short hydraulic retention times (1.06 to 3.17 hours). The pH and temperature in the FBR were maintained at optimal growth conditions for strain O1201 (pH 7 and 30 degrees C) throughout the study. A total of 10 quasi-steady-state operating conditions were obtained after 54 days of operation under an As(III) concentration of 441 mg/L (10 000 mg/L/d loading rate), with As (III) removal efficiency ranging from 76% to near complete. Material balance analysis over the FBR revealed that the difference between the cumulative influent As (III) and the sum of cumulative effluent As(III) and As(V) was insignificant. The major mechanism of As(III) removal from the FBR is biological oxidation to As(V).