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Abstract

Certain bacteria, prevalent in the environment, use perchlorate as an electron acceptor and reduce it to chloride under anaerobic conditions. To develop an ex-situ treatment system for perchlorate-contaminated groundwater, we performed bench-scale test using a fine media fluidized bed reactor (FMFBR; 0.5-ft diameter, 8-ft high) inoculated with a perchlorate-reducing culture. The system was operated under anaerobic conditions. A perchlorate-water solution was introduced into a recirculating stream in the FMFBR at an upward velocity of 16 cm/min. Acetate (acetic acid) was fed as an electron donor. The objective of this study was to establish a minimal acetate feed ratio for sufficient perchlorate reduction by monitoring oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and, consequently, to prevent ORP from falling to a range of sulfate reduction, and to limit the biomass growth from excess acetate.

The FMFBR was able to degrade 3000 - 5000 μg/l perchlorate to less than 4 μg/l in a single pass (16 min empty bed contact time) without excessive hydrogen sulfide production, when effluent ORP (vs. Ag/AgCl) was -290 - -410 mV. Accurate feed control is essential since an imbalance in acetate feed ratio results in unreacted perchlorate or sulfide production. A base feed pump was used to provide 80 % of the acetate required and an ORP controller was used to trim and balance the feed rate using a second pump. The second feed pump was activated when effluent ORP rose to or above -315 mV and deactivated when it fell to or below -320 mV. Some oscillation of effluent ORP was observed, but perchlorate was not detected in the effluent when the oscillation was kept relatively small. Average acetate feed ratio was approximately 1.1-times stoichiometry. For more stable perchlorate degradation, we will examine an earlier ORP detection in the bioreactor column and a more flexible control method for acetate feed.

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