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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BULLETIN - METHANOTROPHIC BIOREACTOR SYSTEM - BIOTROL, INC.
Citation:
Dobbins, D. EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BULLETIN - METHANOTROPHIC BIOREACTOR SYSTEM - BIOTROL, INC. EPA/540/F-93/506, 1993.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
BioTrol's Methanotrophic Bioreactor is an above-ground remedial system for water contaminated with halogenated volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethylene (ICE) and related chemicals. Its design features circumvent problems peculiar to treatment of this unique class of chemicals. First, microorganisms are not known which utilize these chemicals as a primary carbon source; so a specific organism (Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, or simply OB3b) is used which oxidizes these compounds rapidly while utilizing methane, an abundant and inexpensive source of carbon, as its growth substrate. Second, because of the ability of the bacterium to degrade ICE in the absence of the growth substrate, growth of the organism and degradation of the contaminants can take place in separate reactor vessels. This is important because these contaminants are extremely volatile, and bubbling of methane or air through the reaction vessel would likely result in stripping of the contaminants from the water.