Bioreactors for remediation of hydrocarbons in rivers and lagoons of San Luis Potosí [Biorreactores para remediación de hidrocarburos en ríos y lagunas de San Luis Potosí]

In the present work the polluting hydrocarbons in water bodies of the state of San Luis Potosí were evaluated and determined in June 2019, to choose a representative carbon source for the airlift bioreactor. The sampling points were tourist areas: Chajir Lagoon, Puente de Dios pool, Tampaón River and Media Luna Lagoon, and aliphatic hydrocarbons with a carbon number between C8-C32 were found. We reported high concentrations of pollutants, such as eicosane (up to 2, 603.22 ± 1, 202.09 mg L-1) and heneicosane (up to 3, 971.21 ± 2, 260.45 mg L-1). The airlift bioreactor was designed based on hydrodynamic parameters: holdup gas Sauter mean diameter and Reynolds number that increased with the superficial gas velocity, both in the riser zone and downcomer zone and from Ug = 1.92 cm s-1, mixing and mass transfer are favoured in a 2 L airlift reactor. Also, the hydrodynamic parameters evaluated were higher in the riser zone. Furthermore, the consortium isolated by the Gutiérrez-Rojas working group composed of Xanthomonas sp., Acinetobacter Bouvetii, Shewanella Sp., and Defluvibacter lusatiensis, was able to consume 98.21%25 of the initial diesel concentration (13, 000 mg L-1). The airlift bioreactor evaluated in the investigation proved to be capable of remediation the studied water bodies. © 2020, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa. All rights reserved.

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