Coalescence/Filtration of an Oil-In-Water Emulsion in an Immobilized Mucor rouxii Biomass Bed

Abstract

Breakdown mechanisms and flow characteristics involved in an immobilized M. rouxii biomass bed treating oil-in-water emulsion were investigated. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the applicability of the well-known Carman-Kozeny filtration equation to a 1000 mm immobilized M. rouxii biomass bed treating a standard mineral oil-in-water emulsion at six different flow rates (12, 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32 mL/min). The specific permeability coefficient, the Carman-Kozeny constant, and the shape factor of immobilized M. rouxii bed were found to be 2.135 × 10⁻⁸ m², 5.03, and 1.13, respectively. The coalescence efficiency decreased with an increase in bed depth (from 15.9% at 200 mm to 4.0% at 1000 mm depth for a flow rate of 12 mL/min). Results indicated possible sequential occurrence of coalescence and filtration in the immobilized M. rouxii biomass bed.

Keywords:

• immobilization
• coalescence
• filtration
• M. rouxii
• oil-in-water emulsion

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for financial support for the study provided through a grant to the second author.

Notes

1. Characteristics of the oil taken from (4).

2. Composition of M. rouxii cell wall was obtained from (26).