Laboratory-scale biofiltration of acrylonitrile by Rhodococcus rhodochrous DAP 96622 in a trickling bed bioreactor.

Acrylonitrile (ACN), a volatile component of the waste generated during the production of acrylamide, also is often associated with aromatic contaminants such as toluene and styrene. Biofiltration, considered an effective technique for the treatment of volatile hydrocarbons, has not been used to treat volatile nitriles. An experimental laboratory-scale trickling bed bioreactor using cells of Rhodococcus rhodochrous DAP 96622 supported on granular activated carbon (GAC) was developed and evaluated to assess the ability of biofiltration to treat ACN. In addition to following the course of treatability of ACN, kinetics of ACN biodegradation during both recycle batch and open modes of operation by immobilized and free cells were evaluated. For fed-batch mode bioreactor with immobilized cells, almost complete ACN removal (>95%) was achieved at a flow rate of 0.1 microl/min ACN and 0.8 microl/min toluene (TOL) (for comparative purposes this is equivalent to 6.9 mg l(-1) h(-1) ACN and 83.52 mg l(-1) h(-1) TOL). In a single-pass mode bioreactor with immobilized cells, at ACN inlet loads of 100-200 mg l(-1) h(-1) and TOL inlet load of approximately 400 mg l(-1) h(-1), with empty bed retention time (EBRT) of 8 min, ACN removal efficiency was approximately 90%. The three-dimensional structure and characteristics of the biofilm were investigated using confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). CLSM images revealed a robust and heterogeneous biofilm, with microcolonies interspersed with voids and channels. Analysis of the precise measurement of biofilm characteristics using COMSTAT agreed with the assumption that both biomass and biofilm thickness increased along the carbon column depth.