Membrane-Attached Biofilm Reactor Behavior Under Different Flow Velocity for the Treatment of Synthetic Waste Water
Integration of life sciences & engineering
Integration of Life Sciences & Engineering - Poster (T5-P)
Keywords: biofilm, bioreactor, mathematical model, flow velocity
This study compares three different recirculation mass flow rates in a membrane-attached biofilm reactor (MABR), to assess the impact of interfacial mass transfer on the treatment of a synthetic wastewater. A single-tube MABR, connected to a reservoir with full recirculation, was used to measure the reduction of sodium acetate in water by supplying oxygen through the membrane and simultaneously bubbling air to the residual water in the tank. The decreases of substrate and oxygen concentration were measured along the batch operation. A heterogeneous dynamic model using Monod kinetics with dual limitation substrate was employed to predict the observed evolution of substrate and oxygen dissolved in the tank. The model accounts for the counter-diffusion of substrate and oxygen as well as for the bioreaction within the biofilm. It also predicts biomass growth and the production of extra cellular polymers, which in turn causes the biofilm to growth. Transport and kinetic parameters, estimated from previous experiments, were used, and the interfacial mass transport coefficients were estimated specifically for this study, which were compared to those calculated from the Blasius´s solution to the boundary layer equations. The model successfully predicted concentration measurements for the different sets of experiments, and it was found that the increase of the mass flow rate recirculation in the MARB enhance substrate consumption. Predicted profiles of substrate and oxygen concentration and reaction rates inside the biofilm along the batch time are presented and discussed.
Presented Wednesday 19, 13:30 to 15:00, in session Integration of Life Sciences & Engineering - Poster (T5-P).
