Solvent-tolerant bacterial community for biofiltration of very high concentration gaseous solvent streams

摘要

The aerobic biodegradation of high concentrations of gaseous acetone streams by a previously enriched solvent-tolerant bacterial consortium within a 1.9 litre vapour-phase fixed bed biofilter was investigated. Acetone biodegradation rate was measured and the characteristics of the bacterial community were investigated. 16S rRNA sequencing was used subsequently to identify these strains. Successful gas-phase biofiltration of solvent vapour at loadings of up to 360 g m~(-3)h~(-1) was implemented; this is higher than any other reported elimination capacity for acetone in the recognised literature. The mixed solvent-tolerant bacterial consortium was immobilized on sintered glass rings as a bioprocess intensification strategy. Acetone was tracked as the sole carbon source within a minimal salts medium. Removal efficiencies of up to 100% acetone were successfully demonstrated by the biofiltration system. The long-term effect on biofilter performance was also investigated. It showed that the consortium was able to adapt to high concentrations of acetone vapour (17 g m~(-3)) over an extended period with removal efficiency above 80%. This result demonstrates that the biofilter could deal with high concentrations of acetone efficiently. It also shows that the consortium had a significant ability to adapt to high-concentration feed streams, which may occur under industrial conditions.