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Water Science & Technology Vol 48 No 8 pp 127–133 © IWA Publishing 2003

Evaluation of biomass production in unleaded gasoline and BTEX-fed batch reactors

K. Acuna-Askar*, A.J. Englande, Jr.**, A. Ramirez-Medrano***, J.E. Coronado-Guardiola**** and B. Chavez-Gomez*****

*Laboratorio de Biorremediacion Ambiental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Apdo. Postal 1563, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
**Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University Medical Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA., 70112-2699, USA
***Laboratorio de Biorremediacion Ambiental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Apdo. Postal 1563, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
****Laboratorio de Biorremediacion Ambiental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Apdo. Postal 1563, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
*****Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas 152, Delegacion Gustavo A. Madero, 07730 Mexico, D.F.


ABSTRACT
BTEX removal under aerobic conditions by unleaded gasoline acclimated biomass and BTEX acclimated biomass, and the effect of surfactant on BTEX biodegradation were evaluated. The effect of BTEX concentration as the sole source of carbon for biomass acclimation and the effect of yeast extract on cell growth in unleaded gasoline-fed reactors were also evaluated. For the unleaded gasoline acclimated biomass, benzene was shown the most recalcitrant among all BTEX, followed by o-xylene and toluene with 16-23%, 35-41% and 57-69% biodegradation, respectively. Ethylbenzene was consistently the fastest BTEX chemical removed with 99% biodegradation for the four bioreactor acclimated biomasses tested. For the 1,200 ppm BTEX acclimated biomass, benzene showed the highest removal efficiency (99%) among the four biomass environmental conditions tested, along with 99% toluene and 99% ethylbenzene biodegradation. O-xylene showed 92-94% removal. In all bioassays tested Tergitol NP-10 was fully removed, and did not have a substantial effect on BTEX biodegradation at the end of a 10-day evaluation.

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