Toward Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production Concurrent with Municipal Wastewater Treatment in a Sequencing Batch Reactor System
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 1
Abstract
Bacteria can synthesize cytoplasmic granules known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are carbon and energy storage reserves, from organic carbon when subject to stressful environmental conditions. PHAs are also biodegradable thermoplastics with many potential commercial applications. The purpose of the research reported herein was to evaluate the feasibility of integrating PHA production within a municipal wastewater treatment (WWT) configured as a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Four bench-scale WWT SBRs were tested at decreasing organic loading rates to assess the potential to enrich for microbes capable of feast/famine PHA synthesis. For each treatment SBR, sidestream batch reactors receiving higher quantities of primary solids fermenter liquor were operated to produce PHA. Results from this study demonstrate that a treatment SBR supplied moderate strength wastewater can enrich for the target microorganisms, with PHA yields of 0.23–0.31-mg PHA per mg chemical oxygen demand, and produce high quality effluent. In sidestream batch reactors, microorganisms that fed excess quantities of substrate can rapidly synthesize significant quantities of PHA. Based on the results of this study, we estimate that a 1 million gallon per day SBR WWT-PHA production system could generate 11–36 t (12–40 t) of PHA annually.
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Acknowledgments
This material is based on the work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. NSFDMI-0400337. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agency.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 1 • January 2011
Pages: 46 - 54
Copyright
© 2011 ASCE.
History
Received: Mar 15, 2010
Accepted: Jun 30, 2010
Published online: Jul 5, 2010
Published in print: Jan 2011
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