Abstract
A continuous-stirred, hydrogen-based, hollow-fiber membrane biofilm reactor (HFMBfR) that was active in nitrate and sulfate reductions was shown to be effective for degradation or detoxification of para-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) in water by biotransforming it first to para-chloroaniline (nitro-reduction) and then to aniline (reductive dechlorination) with hydrogen (H2) as an electron donor. A series of short-term experiments examined the effects of nitrate and sulfate on p-CNB bioreduction. The results obtained showed both higher nitrate and sulfate concentration declined the p-CNB bioreduction in the biofilm, and this suggests the competition for H2 caused less H2 available for the p-CNB bioreduction when the H2 demand for the reductions was larger. Denitrification and sulfate reduction intermediates were thought to be potential factors inhibiting the p-CNB bioreduction. Analysis of electron-equivalent fluxes and reaction orders in the biofilm further demonstrated both denitrification and sulfate reduction competed more strongly for H2 availability than p-CNB bioreduction. These findings have significant implications for the HFMBfR used for degrading p-CNB under denitrifying and/or sulfate reducing conditions.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50978190), Shanghai Shuguang Tracking Program (10GG12), Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (2013GXNSFBA019208), Research Funds of Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control Theory and Technology (1201Z026), and Research start-funds of Guilin University of Technology (GUT2011042).
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Li, H., Zhang, Z., Xu, X. et al. Bioreduction of para-chloronitrobenzene in a hydrogen-based hollow-fiber membrane biofilm reactor: effects of nitrate and sulfate. Biodegradation 25, 205–215 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-013-9652-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-013-9652-3