Improving the Continuous Multiple Tube Reactor: an Innovative Bioreactor Configuration with Great Potential for Dark Fermentation Processes.

The continuous multiple tube reactor (CMTR) has been developed as a promising technology to maximize biohydrogen production (BHP) by dark fermentation (DF) by preventing excess biomass accumulation, leading to suboptimum values of specific organic loading rates (SOLR). However, previous experiences failed to achieve stable and continuous BHP in this reactor, as the low biomass retention capacity in the tube region limited controlling the SOLR. This study goes beyond the evaluation of the CMTR for DF by inserting grooves in the inner wall of the tubes to ensure better cell attachment.

Photocatalytic degradation of HS in the gas-phase using a continuous flow reactor coated with TiO-based acrylic paint.

For the photocatalytic degradation of the hydrogen sulphide (HS) in the gas-phase it was developed a rectangular reactor, coated with acrylic paint supported on fiber cement material. The surface formed by the paint coverage was characterized structural and morphologically by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray diffraction analysis. The flow rate and the inlet concentration of HS were evaluated as operational performance parameters of the reactor.