BIODEGRADATION OF GAS - PHASE MIXTURES OF STYRENE AND ACETONE IN A BIOFILTER INOCULATED WITH THE FUNGUS SPOROTHRIX VARIECIBATUS

Steady - state biofilter performance, using the fungus Sporothrix variecibatus, for the treatment of a gas - phase mixture of styrene and acetone (SA) was studied at different flow rates (0.05-0.4 m(3) h(-1)) and concentrations (0.01-12.9 g m(-3)). The maximum elimination capacity (ECmax) of SA appeared to be a strong function of the inlet loading rates (ILR) of the two pollutants and these values were found to be 270 g m(-3) h(-1) and 257 g m(-3) h(-1) for styrene and acetone respectively. The highest EC total was 363 g m(-3) h(-1) at an inlet loading rate of 449 g m(-3) h(-1), where nearly 97.5% of styrene and 75.6% acetone were removed. Later, batch studies were conducted with SA, as single compounds and as mixtures using cultures of Sporothrix variecibatus, a thermally dimorphic fungus. An analysis of the pollutant removal profiles suggests that, the removal of acetone was inhibited by the presence of styrene, while styrene removal was not affected by the presence of acetone.