Evaluation of Slip Feed System for Vapor-Phase Bioreactors

Abstract

This study evaluated the ability of a slip feed system to maintain the pollutant-degrading activity of biomass in a vapor phase bioreactor during periods of little or no contaminant feed. Three slip feed fractions (1, 5, and 9% by mass) were investigated in a bioreactor treating toluene-contaminated air. Results indicate that the slip feed system improved the contaminant degradation capacity in the carbon-deprived bioreactor zones by approximately 30% regardless of the slip feed fraction supplied. This yielded a 10–20% improvement in toluene removal efficiency when the entire bioreactor column was subjected to a sudden threefold spike in toluene loading. When a 12% slip feed was supplied to the bioreactor during a short-term (3 days) or longer-term (1 week) shutdown period, it reduced the reacclimation time required following restart by as much as 70%. These results indicate that as long as the biomass receives at least a trace of the pollutant by means of a slip feed system, it can maintain sufficient pollutant degrading capacity to respond quickly to pollutant loadings upon restart.