Supporting Information for
Biocatalytic Coatings for Air Pollution Control: A proof of concept
study on VOC biodegradation
José M. Estrada1,3, Oscar I. Bernal2, Michael C. Flickinger2,4, Raúl Muñoz3, Marc A. Deshusses1*
1
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, USA.
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA.
3
Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Spain.
4
Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State
University, Raleigh, USA.
*Corresponding Author: marc.deshusses@duke.edu Tel.: +1 919 660 5480; fax: +1 919 660 5219
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Content:
Calculation of EC from batch experiments in the test chamber
Figure S1: Typical experimental run
Figure S2: Toluene removal as a function of the biomass concentration in the biofilm, for biofilms of
identical volume
Figure S3: SEM images of freshly prepared bioactive coatings and coating used for four consecutive
experiments over four days.
Calculation of EC from batch experiments in the test chamber
EC was calculated as:
EC 
(C0  Cend )  V
t
Where C0 and Cend are the initial and final concentrations of toluene, respectively. V is the volume
of the test chamber and t is the duration of the experiment.
Areal EC was calculated as:
ECareal 
(C0  Cend )  V
t A
Where C0 and Cend are the initial and final concentrations of toluene, respectively. V is the volume
of the test chamber, t is the duration of the experiment and A is the area of the biofilm.
1
1.2
4.0
Toluene
1.0
3.5
Toluene (control)
3.0
-3
0.6
2.0
CO
1.5
0.4
-3
2
2
C-Toluene (g m )
2.5
C-CO (g m )
0.8
1.0
CO (control)
2
0.2
0.5
0.0
0.0
0
2
4
6
8
10
Time (h)
Figure S1. Typical time course of C-toluene () and C-carbon dioxide () concentration in the
headspace of the test chamber during experiments with a 16 cm2 agarose biofilm and a biomass
concentration of 23.6 g L-1.
-1
Toluene Removal Rate (mg h )
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
-1
Biomass Concentration (g L )
Figure S2. Toluene removal rate in the system as a function of the biomass concentration in the
biofilm, biofilms of identical volume (1.25 mL) thickness (0.08 mm) and area (16 cm2).
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Figure S3: SEM images of a freshly prepared bioactive coating (top) and coating used for four consecutive
experiments over four days (bottom). The image of used coating was obtained with a lower magnification
(2500x vs 5000x for the fresh coating), but was scaled and cropped and is shown at the same to allow direct
comparison.
3