Kinetics of Phenol Degradation in an Anaerobic Fixed‐Biofilm Process

Abstract

A mathematical model was developed to describe phenol degradation in an anaerobic fixed‐biofilm process. The model incorporates the mechanisms of diffusive mass transport and Monod kinetics. The model was solved using a combination of the orthogonal collocation method and Gear's method. A pilot‐scale column reactor was used to verify the model. Batch kinetic tests were conducted independently to determine the biokinetic parameters used in the model, while shear loss and initial thickness of biofilm were assumed so that the model simulated the substrate concentration results well. The removal efficiency for phenol was approximately 98.5% at a steady‐state condition. The model accurately described the effluent substrate concentrations and the sequence of biodegradation in the reactor. The model simulations are in agreement with the experimental results. The approaches presented in this paper could be used to design full‐scale anaerobic fixed‐biofilm reactor systems for the biodegradation of phenolic substrates.

Biological treatment of phenolic wastewater in an anaerobic continuous stirred tank reactor

“…In anaerobic conditions, the specific substrate removal rate was in the range of reported values. Similar work was conducted by Hussain and Lin [24,25]. However, their reported values were much lower than the reported values in aerobic processes [21,26].…”

Biological Fixed Film Systems

“…Four hypothetical mechanisms for protection of biofilms against antimicrobials were evaluated using a 3-D model (Chambless et al, 2006). When the mechanisms were fixed-biofilm process (Lin and Lee, 2006). The model was solved using a combination of the orthogonal collocation method and Gear's method.…”