The usability and operational stability of the draft-tube three-phase fluidized-bed reactor(DTFR) as a biofilm reactor are analyzed using the experimental results of phenol biodegradation by Pseudomonas putida mixed cultures immobilized on the activat...
The usability and operational stability of the draft-tube three-phase fluidized-bed reactor(DTFR) as a biofilm reactor are analyzed using the experimental results of phenol biodegradation by Pseudomonas putida mixed cultures immobilized on the activated carbon. The phenol conversions of greater than 95% are obtained when the phenol loading is below 5g/L·day. But the phenol conversions decrease gradually with increasing the phenol loading beyond the value of 5g/L·day due to the augmentation of biofilm density which reduces the phenol diffusion rate into the biofilm. The operational stability of DTFR is more excellent than the conventional three-phase fluidized-bed reactor (CTFR), because DTFR restrains more efficiently the heavy growth of biofilm and could be operated for the more wider ranges of phenol loading.