Continuous operation of fluidized bed bioreactor for biogenic sulfide oxidation using immobilized cells of Thiobacillus sp

Abstract

In the present study, obligate autotrophic Thiobacillus sp. was isolated from aerobic sludge distillery effluent treatment plant and the experiments were conducted in a fluidized bed bioreactor for the biological oxidation of sulfide using Ca-alginate immobilized Thiobacillus sp. All the experiments were conducted in continuous mode at different sulfide loading rates 0.018, 0.02475, 0.03375, 0.03825 and 0.054 and different hydraulic retention times 5, 3.67, 2.67, 2.35 and 1.67 h by varying flow rates 2.4�10-4, 3.3�10-4, 4.5�10-4, 5.1 � 10-4 and 7.2�10-4. Sulfide conversions higher than 90% were obtained at almost all sulfide loading rates and hydraulic retention times. All the experiments were conducted at constant pH of around 6 and temperature of 30�5�C. � 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information.