A novel two-phase partitioning bioreactor operated with polymeric tubing for enhanced treatment of industrial wastewater

A continuous two-phase partitioning bioreactor (C-TPPB), operated with coiled tubing made of the DuPont polymer Hytrel 8206, was tested for the bioremediation of 4-chlorophenol, as a model toxic compound. The tubing was immersed in the aqueous phase, with the contaminated water flowing tube-side, and an adapted microbial culture suspended in the bioreactor itself, with the metabolic demand of the cells creating a concentration gradient to cause the substrate to diffuse into the bioreactor for biodegradation. The system was operated over a range of loadings (tubing influent concentration 500-2000 mg L-1), with near-complete substrate removal in all cases. Biological removal was in the range of 87-95%, while the amount retained in the polymer ranged from ~1 to 10%. Mass transfer of the substrate across the tubing wall was not limiting, and the polymer demonstrated the capacity to buffer the increased substrate loadings and to adapt to microbial metabolism.