Design of Bio-Absorbent Systems for the Removal of Hydrocarbons from Industrial Wastewater: Pilot-Plant Scale
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemAutor
Silva-Castro, Gloria Andrea; Rodríguez Calvo, Alfonso; Robledo Mahón, Tatiana; Aranda Ballesteros, Elisabet; González López, Jesús Juan; Calvo Sáinz, ConcepciónEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Hydrocarbons Bioremediation Industrial wastewater Pilot scale Microbial diversity Biofilm
Fecha
2021Referencia bibliográfica
Silva-Castro, G.A.; Rodríguez-Calvo, A.; RobledoMahón, T.; Aranda, E.; GonzálezLópez, J.; Calvo, C. Design of Bio-Absorbent Systems for the Removal of Hydrocarbons from Industrial Wastewater: Pilot-Plant Scale. Toxics 2021, 9, 162. https:// doi.org/10.3390/toxics9070162
Patrocinador
Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos S.AResumen
The objective of this study was the development and design of a treatment system at
a pilot-plant scale for the remediation of hydrocarbons in industrial wastewater. The treatment
consists of a combined approach of absorption and biodegradation to obtain treated water with
sufficient quality to be reused in fire defense systems (FDSs). The plant consists of four vertical flow
columns (bioreactors) made of stainless steel (ATEX Standard) with dimensions of 1.65 × 0.5 m and
water volumes of 192.4 L. Each bioreactor includes a holder to contain the absorbent material (Pad
Sentec polypropylene). The effectiveness of the treatment system has been studied in wastewater
with high and low pollutant loads (concentrations higher than 60,000 mg L−1 of total petroleum
hydrocarbons (TPH) and lower than 500 mg L−1 of TPHs, respectively). The pilot-plant design can
function at two different flow rates, Q1 (180 L h−1
) and Q2 (780 L h−1
), with or without additional
aeration. The results obtained for strongly polluted wastewaters showed that, at low flow rates,
additional aeration enhanced hydrocarbon removal, while aeration was unnecessary at high flow
rates. For wastewater with a low pollutant load, we selected a flow rate of 780 L h−1 without aeration.
Different recirculation times were also tested along with the application of a post-treatment lasting
7 days inside the bioreactor without recirculation. The microbial diversity studies showed similar
populations of bacteria and fungi in the inlet and outlet wastewater. Likewise, high similarity indices
were observed between the adhered and suspended biomass within the bioreactors. The results
showed that the setup and optimization of the reactor represent a step forward in the application of
bioremediation processes at an industrial/large scale.