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Environ Sci Technol

Title:		Monitoring biodegradation of VOCs using high-speed gas chromatography with a dual-point sampling system
Author(s):		Current RW; Kozliak EI; Borgerding AJ;
Address:		"Department of Chemistry, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks 58202, USA"
Journal Title:		Environ Sci Technol
Year:		2001
Volume:		35
Issue:		7
Page Number:		1452 - 1457
DOI:		10.1021/es001708g
ISSN/ISBN:		0013-936X (Print) 0013-936X (Linking)
Abstract:		"A new sampling system has been designed and interfaced with high-speed gas chromatography (HSGC) to monitor and assess the performance of a trickle-bed bioreactor designed for the removal of volatile organic compounds from air. A portion of a gas stream containing styrene and toluene was sampled both before and after passing through the bioreactor by means of a dual-loop sampling system. With a frequency of as high as 2 per minute, treated and untreated samples were alternately transferred on-line to the cryofocusing injection system of a HSGC and analyzed. This analytical system generated data with less than 2% relative standard deviations for standard samples, and residual contamination of subsequent analyses from a highly concentrated sample (2,000 microg/L) was not observed. A bench-scale bioreactor with a fiber mat support was used in these studies, resulting in residence times for analytes in the bioreactor of as little as 1 s. Rapid monitoring of this system detected subtle changes in the concentration of analytes with 30 s temporal resolution. Measurements showed a statistically significant increase in the removal of styrene from 22% to 27% when water was sprayed over the immobilized bacteria for 30 min. Overall, the bioreactor removed styrene from the air stream with a specific elimination capacity of 1,700 g of styrene (m3 of biocatalyst)-1 h(-1) at a space velocity of 3,400 h(-1)"
Keywords:		"Air Pollutants/metabolism Biodegradation, Environmental Chromatography, Gas/*methods Environmental Monitoring/*methods Organic Chemicals/*metabolism Specimen Handling Styrene/metabolism Toluene/metabolism Volatilization;"
Notes:		"MedlineCurrent, R W Kozliak, E I Borgerding, A J eng Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2001/05/12 Environ Sci Technol. 2001 Apr 1; 35(7):1452-7. doi: 10.1021/es001708g"