Toluene Removal in an Automated Cyclical Bioreactor

A control scheme was developed for the automation of toluene removal in a cyclical bioreactor. Toluene was added to the self-cycling fermentor by diffusion across a silicone membrane. Transient dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide evolution, and oxidationreduction potential (ORP) were screened as potential control variables. Through experimentation, ORP was deemed most effective. Control algorithms based on realtime estimates of the first and second derivatives of the ORP signal were tested. Although both approaches resulted in stable operation of the reactor, average toluene removal efficiencies of 95% were realized when control was based on the second derivative. This was significantly higher than the 77% efficiencies obtained when the control scheme centered on the first derivative of the transient ORP signal. The system developed was self-regulating, ensuring that a high toluene removal rate, on the order of 1.1 g h^-1 was maintained from cycle to cycle.