Two-Phase Partitioning Bioreactors Operating with Polymers Applied to the Removal of Substituted Phenols

Significant improvement in biodegradation performance has been demonstrated arising from the reduction of cytotoxicity provided by the sequestering of 4-nitrophenol (4NP) within Hytrel polymer beads added to a two-phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB) operating in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) mode. This reduced toxicity is particularly apparent as the feed substrate concentration is increased; in fact it was shown that at a feed of 1000 mg/L 4NP, the inhibitory effect of the substrate completely prevents degradation from occurring in a single-phase system, whereas at only a 5% polymer loading, rapid and compete biodegradation is achieved. Different polymer/aqueous phase ratios were used to detoxify varying feed concentrations, and degradation rates were enhanced through the use of increased polymer loadings. As demonstrated in oxygen uptake experiments, the addition of polymers also reduces the maximum demand for oxygen, relative to single-phase operation, and smoothes the demand for oxygen throughout the degradation process. Polymer regeneration has also been further characterized by quantifying the number of methanol washes required to achieve satisfactory 4NP residuals, and the addition of a small amount of cosolvent has been shown to dramatically increase the rate of bioregeneration to produce beads ready for reuse.