Continuous Operation of Fluidized Bed Bioreactor for Biogenic Sulfide Oxidation Using Immobilized Cells of Thiobacillus sp

Sulfide oxidation in fluidized bed bioreactor using nylon support material

A continuous fluidized bed bioreactor (FBBR) with nylon support particles was used to treat synthetic sulfide wastewater at different hydraulic retention time of 25, 50 and 75 min and upflow velocity of 14, 17 and 20 m/hr. The effects of upflow velocity, hydraulic retention time and reactor operation time on sulfide oxidation rate were studied using statistical model. Mixed culture obtained from the activated sludge, taken from tannery effluent treatment plant, was used as a source for microorganisms. The diameter and density of the nylon particles were 2-3 mm and 1140 kg/m3, respectively. Experiments were carried out in the reactor at a temperature of (30 +/- 2) degrees C, at a fixed bed height of 16 cm after the formation of biofilm on the surface of support particles. Biofilm thickness reached (42 +/- 3) microm after 15 days from reactor start-up. The sulfide oxidation, sulfate and sulfur formation is examined at all hydraulic retention times and upflow velocities. The results indicated that almost 90%-92% sulfide oxidation was achieved at all hydraulic retention times. Statistical model could explain 94% of the variability and analysis of variance showed that upflow velocity and hydraulic retention time slightly affected the sulfide oxidation rate. The highest sulfide oxidation of 92% with 70% sulfur was obtained at hydraulic retention time of 75 min and upflow velocity of 14 m/hr.

Biological treatment of toxic petroleum spent caustic in fluidized bed bioreactor using immobilized cells of Thiobacillus RAI01

In the present studies, newly isolated Thiobacillus sp was used for the treatment of synthetic spent sulfide caustic in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed bioreactor. The sulfide oxidation was tested using Ca-alginate immobilized Thiobacillus sp. Initially, response surface methodology was applied for the optimization of four parameters to check the sulfide oxidation efficiency in batch mode. Further, reactor was operated in continuous mode for 51 days at different sulfide loading rates and retention times to test the sulfide oxidation and sulfate and thiosulfate formation. Sulfide conversions in the range of 90-98% were obtained at almost all sulfide loading rates and hydraulic retention times. However, increased loading rates resulted in lower sulfide oxidation capacity. All the experiments were conducted at constant pH of around 6 and temperature of 30 +/- 5 degrees C.