Artículo de Revista
Two-phase partitioning bioreactors: towards a new generation of high-performance biological processes for VOC and CH4 abatement.
Registro en:
Electronic Journal of Energy & Environment, Vol. 2, Nº 1, 34-46, 2014
0719-269X
10.7770/ejee-V2N1-art661
Autor
Muñoz, Raúl
Quijano, Guillermo
Revah, Sergio
Institución
Resumen
The intense research and development
conducted over the past 30 years in the field of air pollution
control have increased the acceptance of biotechnologies
as cost-efficient technological solutions to mitigate
atmospheric pollution. Despite the low operating cost of
biofilters and biotrickling filters, the limited mass transfer
rates of certain key air contaminants from the gas phase to
the microbial community and the perceived limited
robustness of biotechnologies still make physical-chemical
technologies the preferred methods for air pollution control.
In this context, the addition of a non-aqueous phase to
conventional bioreactors, in the so called two-phase
partitioning bioreactors (TPPBs), can overcome the above
mentioned limitations and trigger the consolidation of
biotechnologies for the removal of odors, volatile organic
contaminants (VOCs) or greenhouse gases. TPPBs have
been successfully implemented in stirred tank, airlift, biofilter
and biotrickling filter reactors for the removal of hydrophobic VOCs and CH4 at unprecedentedly high removal rates. The
high affinity of the non-aqueous phase for the target gas
pollutant creates a new and efficient mass transfer pathway
and increases process robustness compared to conventional
biotechnologies. Finally, recent studies have shown that
the use of hydrophobic biomass can boost the abatement
performance of TPPBs by one order of magnitude.