Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs)(eg, hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide,
CTAB) are emerging contaminants with widespread use as surfactants and disinfectants.
Because the initial step of QAC biodegradation is mono-oxygenation, QAC degraders
require O 2, but normal aeration leads to serious foaming. Here, we developed and tested
an oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactor (O 2-MBfR) that delivers O 2 by diffusion
through the walls of hollow-membranes to a biofilm accumulating on the outer surface of …

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs)(eg, hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide,
CTAB) are emerging contaminants with widespread use as surfactants and disinfectants.
Because the initial step of QAC biodegradation is mono-oxygenation, QAC degraders
require O2, but normal aeration leads to serious foaming. Here, we developed and tested an
oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactor (O2-MBfR) that delivers O2 by diffusion through the
walls of hollow-membranes to a biofilm accumulating on the outer surface of membranes …