Development of Parallel TBR system for the treatment of Trichloroethylene by Burkholderia cepacia G4

A parallel reactor system which is consisted of two trickle bed reactors (TBR) was developed for the biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in waste gas stream. The reactor were packed with porous ceramic materials and Burkholderia cepacia G4 was inoculated to form biofilms. Each reactor was operated alternatively in TCE degradation or reactivation mode, and the effect of switching time on TBR performance was investigated. The MO (monooxygenase) activity during the TCE transformation decreased below 10 % within 24 hr, but could be recovered to the initial high level within 10 hr after supplying the reactivation medium supplemented with phenol as a carbon source. This shows that the parallel TBR system has a great potential for the long-term stable treatment of TCE.