Operational pH in packed-bed reactors for ferrous ion bio-oxidation

The flooded packed-bed bioreactor plays a major role in the field of applications of ferrous ion bio-oxidation. The pH is an important variable in the control of this type of reactor, upon which the functionality of biofilm depends. In the present work, five continuous flooded packed-bed reactors ha...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Mazuelos Rojas, Alfonso, Carranza Mora, Francisco, Romero Aleta, Rafael, Iglesias González, María Nieves, Villalobo Polo, Eduardo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2010
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/152810
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/152810
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2010.06.002
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Bio-oxidation
Ferrous ion
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferooxidans
Operational pH
Packed-bed bioreactor
Biofilm
Descripción
Sumario:The flooded packed-bed bioreactor plays a major role in the field of applications of ferrous ion bio-oxidation. The pH is an important variable in the control of this type of reactor, upon which the functionality of biofilm depends. In the present work, five continuous flooded packed-bed reactors have been inoculated with mixed cultures (Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferooxidans) and fed with 9 k medium in the pH range 0.82 to 1.90. It has been experimentally tested that the operation of these reactors is stable at the maximum productivity levels when the pH varies within the interval 1.00 to 2.30 inside the reactor. It has been observed that the negative effect on the productivity when the upper pH limit is exceeded is reversible. No such reversibility occurs when the pH goes below the lower limit. The results of our experiments indicate that the limitations in operational pH are linked to the chemistry of precipitation ferric compounds and not to biological phenomena.