Formation and use of biogenic jarosite carrier for high-rate iron oxidising biofilms
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Research in Microbiology |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 2020 |
| Publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Abstract
Jarosite precipitates formed in iron oxidising bioreactors have been shown to harbour iron-oxidisers. The aim of this study was to develop an iron oxidising bioprocess where microorganisms are retained solely on biogenic jarosite particles. Based on preliminary experiments using a fluidised-bed bioreactor (FBR), the formed jarosite particles started to disintegrate and wash out at upflow velocities of ≥0.21 cm/s. Therefore, the generation and use of biogenic jarosite carrier was studied in an expanded-bed bioreactor (J-EBR) with an upflow velocity of 0.19 cm/s. Inside J-EBR, the jarosite particles formed granules of 0.5–3 mm containing 200–460 mg/g of attached biomass. The performance of J-EBR was compared with an activated carbon biofilm FBR at 0.82 cm/s upflow velocity (AC-FBR). At 35 ± 2 °C with a feed ferrous iron concentration of 10 g/l, the highest obtained iron oxidation rate of J-EBR (6.8 g/l/h) was 33% lower than that of AC-FBR (10.1 g/l/h). This was likely due to the 80% lower recirculation rate and subsequently higher oxygen mass transfer limitation in J-EBR compared to AC-FBR. The present study demonstrates that biogenic jarosite can be used for retainment of iron oxidising biofilms in expanded-bed bioreactors that oxidise iron at high rates.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- Biogenic carrier, Biomass retainment, Expanded-bed bioreactor, Fluidised-bed bioreactor, Iron oxidation, Jarosite