Biodegradation of aromatic compounds from soil by drum bioreactor system

Abstract

A drum bioreactor was used for the treatment of sandy soil contaminated with three kinds of aromatic compounds (phenol, naphthalene, and phenanthrene), and its performance was evaluated in two different operation modes; intermittent and continuous rotation of drum. When the drum bioreactor was operated with one rotation per day, the microbial growth was relatively low, and most of the compounds remaining in soil, except naphthalene of 90 mg/kg dry soil, disappeared mainly due to volatilization. In contrast, when the drum was continuously rotated at 9 rpm (rotation/min), the number of microorganisms was drastically increased and nitrate was consumed for growth as a nitrogen source. Phenol and phenanthrene were removed at rates of 56.7 mg/kg dry soil/day and 3.2 mg/kg dry soil/day, respectively.