This research examined the influence of organic loading rate (OLR) and biosolids type on the performance of fermentative H2-producing membrane bioreactors (HPMBRs) with respect to H2 production and membrane fouling. Five OLRs ranging from 4.0 to 30 g COD L-1 d-1 were examined in a lab-scale HPMBR. The system performance with both suspended and granulated biosolids was also investigated. The H2 yield from the suspended biosolids HPMBR was not significantly influenced by OLR at OLRs ≤ 13 g COD L-1 d-1, appeared to be maximized at an OLR of 22 g COD L-1 d-1, and then decreased as the OLR was increased further. An optimum OLR that maximizes H2 yield may be near the OLR that causes reactor overload with respect to substrate utilization. Under the same operating conditions, the H2 yield from a suspended HPMBR was significantly higher than that from a granulated HPMBR. A higher H2 consumption rate and a higher concentration of bound extracellular polymeric substances from the granulated HPMBR may contribute 5–48% and 25–67% of the H2 production difference between the two systems, respectively. The experimental results accompanied with microscopic examination of fouled membrane surfaces indicated that biosolids deposition and colloidal adhesion were the two dominant membrane fouling mechanisms in the HPMBRs. Membrane fouling was characterized by two distinct stages: an initial stage with a relatively higher fouling rate and a second stage with a lower fouling rate. Membrane fouling rates and resistances were influenced by the properties of biosolids and colloids in the mixed liquor. The fouling rates increased with increased biomass concentration, but decreased as colloids became more negatively charged. The irreversible and irremovable fouling resistance increased with increased concentration of colloids, while the removable fouling resistance had no relationship with biomass concentration. Biosolids granulation may benefit membrane performance due to a lower colloidal concentration produced. The single cake filtration model was proper to simulate membrane performance in the initial fouling stage. Both cake filtration and combined cake-standard models provided good fits for the second fouling stage, whereas future study is required to improve model predictability for membrane fouling in this stage.

The membrane aerated bioreactor (MABR) is a unique technological innovation where a gas permeable membrane is applied to biological processes. In an MABR, oxygen and other substrates diffuse from the opposite directions into a biofilm, and thus simultaneous chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogen removal can be achieved. However, controlling biofilm thickness, stability, and attachment is challenging. The objectives of this research were to study the effect of oxygen partial pressure on process performance with respect to nitrogen removal and examine the biomass properties in MABRs at different oxygen partial pressures and COD loadings. The conditions within the bioreactors were based on a low hydrodynamic condition (average fluid velocity 22 cm/min along the membrane surface), with the intention of minimizing the impact of the hydrodynamic shear on biomass properties. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification were achieved in the reactors, and increasing oxygen partial pressure enhanced the total nitrogen removal. The biomass at the membrane-biofilm interface was more porous at a loading of 11.3 kg COD/1000 m2/day (areal porosity about 0.9) as compared with a loading of 22.6 kg COD/1000 m2/day (areal porosity about 0.7), indicating carbon substrate was limiting near the membrane. Long-term (over 30 days) experimental results showed that at the loading of 11.3 kg COD/1000 m2/day, the oxygen partial pressures of 0.59 atm and 0.88 atm caused over 80% of the biomass to become suspended in the bulk phase while at 0.25 atm and 0.41 atm oxygen over 97% of the biomass was immobilized on the membrane. There is a critical oxygen partial pressure that can sustain the biofilm, which increases with an increasing COD loading. The nitrifying population in the reactors was examined by applying fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). At the loading of 22.6 kg COD/1000 m2/day, there were 12% beta-proteobacterial ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and 17%Nitrobacter in homogenized biofilm biomass at 0.59 atm oxygen while there were 7% beta-proteobacterial AOB and 4% Nitrobacter at 0.25 atm oxygen. The ratio of protein to carbohydrate in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the homogenized biomass in the reactor decreased with increasing oxygen partial pressure. Surface characterization of the biomass revealed that the higher the oxygen partial pressure, the lower the biomass hydrophobicity and surface charge. The ratio of EPS protein to carbohydrate in a membrane aerated biofilm decreased when approaching the membrane-biofilm interface. The distribution of nitrifiers and dissolved oxygen profiles inside the biofilm suggested that dual substrate limitations exist, and it was concluded that the membrane aerated biofilm had an aerobic region in the inner layer and an anoxic region in the outer layer. It is proposed that the loss of EPS due to secondary substrate consumption, especially the loss of EPS proteins, at the bottom of the biofilm was responsible for biofilm detachment subjected to a critical oxygen partial pressure.

This research examined the influence of organic loading rate (OLR) and biosolids type on the performance of fermentative H2-producing membrane bioreactors (HPMBRs) with respect to H2 production and membrane fouling. Five OLRs ranging from 4.0 to 30 g COD L-1 d-1 were examined in a lab-scale HPMBR. The system performance with both suspended and granulated biosolids was also investigated. The H2 yield from the suspended biosolids HPMBR was not significantly influenced by OLR at OLRs ≤ 13 g COD L-1 d-1, appeared to be maximized at an OLR of 22 g COD L-1 d-1, and then decreased as the OLR was increased further. An optimum OLR that maximizes H2 yield may be near the OLR that causes reactor overload with respect to substrate utilization. Under the same operating conditions, the H2 yield from a suspended HPMBR was significantly higher than that from a granulated HPMBR. A higher H2 consumption rate and a higher concentration of bound extracellular polymeric substances from the granulated HPMBR may contribute 5–48% and 25–67% of the H2 production difference between the two systems, respectively. The experimental results accompanied with microscopic examination of fouled membrane surfaces indicated that biosolids deposition and colloidal adhesion were the two dominant membrane fouling mechanisms in the HPMBRs. Membrane fouling was characterized by two distinct stages: an initial stage with a relatively higher fouling rate and a second stage with a lower fouling rate. Membrane fouling rates and resistances were influenced by the properties of biosolids and colloids in the mixed liquor. The fouling rates increased with increased biomass concentration, but decreased as colloids became more negatively charged. The irreversible and irremovable fouling resistance increased with increased concentration of colloids, while the removable fouling resistance had no relationship with biomass concentration. Biosolids granulation may benefit membrane performance due to a lower colloidal concentration produced. The single cake filtration model was proper to simulate membrane performance in the initial fouling stage. Both cake filtration and combined cake-standard models provided good fits for the second fouling stage, whereas future study is required to improve model predictability for membrane fouling in this stage.

The bioreactor landfill is an emerging concept for solid waste management that has gained significant attention in the last decade. This technology employs specific operational practices to enhance the microbial decomposition processes in landfills. However, the unsupervised management and lack of operational guidelines for the bioreactor landfill, specifically leachate manipulation and recirculation processes, usually results in less than optimal system performance. Therefore, these limitations have led to the development of SMART (Sensor-based Monitoring and Remote-control Technology), an expert control system that utilizes real-time monitoring of key system parameters in the management of bioreactor landfills. SMART replaces conventional open-loop control with a feedback control system that aids the human operator in making decisions and managing complex control issues. The target from this control system is to provide optimum conditions for the biodegradation of the refuse, and also, to enhance the performance of the bioreactor in terms of biogas generation. SMART includes multiple cascading logic controllers and mathematical calculations through which the quantity and quality of the recirculated solution are determined. The expert system computes the required quantities of leachate, buffer, supplemental water, and nutritional amendments in order to provide the bioreactor landfill microbial consortia with their optimum growth requirements. Soft computational methods, particularly fuzzy logic, were incorporated in the logic controllers of SMART so as to accommodate the uncertainty, complexity, and nonlinearity of the bioreactor landfill processes. Fuzzy logic was used to solve complex operational issues in the control program of SMART including: (1) identify the current operational phase of the bioreactor landfill based on quantifiable parameters of the leachate generated and biogas produced, (2) evaluate the toxicological status of the leachate based on certain parameters that directly contribute to or indirectly indicates bacterial inhibition, and (3) predict biogas generation rates based on the operational phase, leachate recirculation, and sludge addition. The later fuzzy logic model was upgraded to a hybrid model that employed the learning algorithm of artificial neural networks to optimize the model parameters. SMART was applied to a pilot-scale bioreactor landfill prototype that incorporated the hardware components (sensors, communication devices, and control elements) and the software components (user interface and control program) of the system. During a one-year monitoring period, the feasibility and effectiveness of the SMART system were evaluated in terms of multiple leachate, biogas, and waste parameters. In addition, leachate heating was evaluated as a potential temperature control tool in bioreactor landfills. The pilot-scale implementation of SMART demonstrated the applicability of the system. SMART led to a significant improvement in the overall performance of the BL in terms of methane production and leachate stabilization. Temperature control via recirculation of heated leachate achieved high degradation rates of organic matter and improved the methanogenic activity.

Good process control is often critical for the economic viability of large-scale production of several commercial products. In this work, the production of biodiesel from microalgae is investigated. Successful implementation of a model-based control strategy requires the identification of a model that properly captures the biochemical dynamics of microalgae, yet is simple enough to allow its implementation for controller design. For this purpose, two model reparameterization algorithms are proposed that partition the parameter space into estimable and inestimable subspaces. Both algorithms are applied using a first principles ODE model of a microalgal bioreactor, containing 6 states and 12 unknown parameters. Based on initial simulations, the non-linear algorithm achieved better degree of output prediction when compared to the linear one at a greatly decreased computational cost. Using the parameter estimates obtained through implementation of the non-linear algorithm on experimental data from a fed-batch bioreactor, the possible improvement in volumetric productivity was recognized. / Process Control

Dunaliella, a genus of unicellular, biflagellate green algae, is one of the most studied microalgae for mass culture and is of commercial importance as a source of natural -carotene. Dunaliella species have the desirable properties of halotolerance and photoautotrophy that makes their large-scale culture simple and cheap using resources unsuitable for conventional agriculture. The ease and cost-effectiveness of culture makes Dunaliella a desirable target for increased production of natural compounds by metabolic engineering or for exploitation as biological factories for the synthesis of novel high-value compounds. However, the lack of efficient genetic transformation systems has been a major limitation in the manipulation of these microalgae. In chapter four we describe the development of a nuclear transformation system for Dunaliella tertiolecta. The gene encoding the phleomycin-binding protein from Streptoalloteichus hindustanus, was chosen as the selectable marker as this protein retains activity at high salt concentrations. To drive expression of the chosen selectable marker, two highly expressed Dunaliella tertiolecta RbcS genes and their associated 5' and 3' regulatory regions were isolated and characterised (chapter three). Dunaliella transformation cassettes containing the RbcS promoter and terminator regions flanking the ble antibiotic resistance gene were constructed. These expression cassettes were tested in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells and found to drive expression of the ble gene in this heterologous system. This study also demonstrated that truncation of both the D. tertiolecta RbcS1 and RbcS2 regulatory regions significantly increases the expression of the ble gene in C. reinhardtii cells. To determine if the foreign DNA could stably integrate into the Dunaliella genome, four transformation methods: microprojectile bombardment, glass bead-mediated transformation, PEG-mediated transformation and electroporation were tested and a number of parameters varied. Southern blot analysis revealed that the plasmid DNA transiently entered the Dunaliella cells following electroporation but was rapidly degraded. Following electroporation, one stably transformed Dunaliella line was recovered. This is the first demonstration of the stable transformation of this alga. Chloroplast transformation is becoming a favoured method for the production of recombinant proteins in plants, as levels of heterologous protein are often higher than those achieved by transforming the nucleus. The Dunaliella chloroplast genome has not been genetically characterised, and thus there were no existing promoter and terminator sequences or sequences of intergenic regions that could be used for vectors in transformation of the chloroplast. Therefore, this study aimed to isolate and characterise promoters of highly expressed genes and matching terminators capable of driving transgene expression, and also to characterise intergenic regions that would be suitable insertion sites for the vector construct (chapter five). The complete gene sequence of two highly expressed Dunaliella chloroplast genes psbB and rbcL including the promoter and terminator regions as well as the coding sequence of the psbA gene were cloned and sequenced. In addition, the psbA gene is useful as a selectable marker as introduced mutations confer resistance to the herbicide 3-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-1,1-Dimethylurea (DCMU). Two homologous transformation constructs based on mutated psbA genes were developed and tested using microprojectile bombardment. A number of parameters were tested including: the size of the gold microprojectile particle, the distance of the plates from the point of discharge, plating onto membranes or filter paper, helium pressure, addition of an osmoticum to the medium and recovery time. Although no chloroplast transformants were recovered in this study, these homologous recombination constructs should prove useful in the development of a chloroplast transformation protocol. The other major component of this study was to investigate the use of microalgae as an expression system for the production of recombinant proteins. Transformation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a species related to Dunaliella, is well developed. In chapter six, this study examined the expression of two human proteins, -lactalbumin and IGF-1 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Plasmids containing the C. reinhardtii RbcS2 promoter upstream of the cDNAs of these two proteins were introduced into C. reinhardtii cells using glass-bead mediated transformation. Transgenic C. reinhardtii lines were generated and shown to contain the transgenes by PCR and Southern hybridisation. RT- PCR and northern hybridisation were subsequently used to demonstrate that the transgenes were transcriptionally active. The transcripts however, could only be detected by RT-PCR indicating that the genes were transcribed at low levels. Accumulation of the -lactalbumin protein could not be demonstrated, suggesting that although the transgenes were transcribed, they were either not translated or translated at levels below the sensitivity of western blot analysis or that any protein produced was rapidly degraded. Previous studies have indicated that in microalgae codon usage is vital in translation of the foreign protein. Codon modification of the IGF-I and -lactalbumin genes should lead to higher levels of protein accumulation. This study reports the first successful stable nuclear transformation of Dunaliella tertiolecta. Therefore it is now feasible that Dunaliella can be examined as a bioreactor for the expression of recombinant proteins. In addition, two chloroplast genes (psbB and rbcL) and their corresponding promoters and terminators have been characterised and a selectable marker cassette based on the mutated psbA gene constructed.

ABSTRACT Bioreactor landfill operation has been promoted as a means of accelerating the degradation of waste for over 30 years. Accelerating the degradation of waste enables better predictability in biogas production and reduces aftercare costs. Most bioreactor landfill trials focus on the effect of leachate recirculation on otherwise conventional landfill cells. However, there is a range of design and operational measures that can be implemented with standard landfilling machinery to further enhance degradation. This thesis explores degradation rates that can be achieved in a landfill cell, designed to maximise degradation rate, with the constraint that it be constructed by standard earthmoving equipment, the waste be crudely shredded by sheep foot compactors to expose waste, and leachate recirculation be operable by landfill personnel. The major departures of these test cells from a conventional landfill cell operation were: the cells were only 3m deep; MSW loaded into the cell was crushed and bags ruptured with a sheep foot compactor; MSW was pre-mixed prior placement with digested sludge, as a ratio such that the buffering capacity of the sludge was equivalent to an amount of NaHCO3 known to successfully buffer the digestion of packed beds of MSW (10gL-1 NaHCO3 in packed bed at field capacity moisture content plus excess leachate equal to 10% of the bed volume (Lai et al 2001); and the waste was placed rather than compacted into the cell. The thesis examines the performance of two test cells, the second only containing MSW and inoculated and buffered by sequencing with the first. These performances are compared with an exhaustive set of control digestions in 200L laboratory reactors. The laboratory reactors were packed with 50kg sub-samples of the waste used in the cells, shredded to sub 5cm size. The laboratory reactors primarily focussed on the effect of temperature on degradation rates, to identify the optimum degradation rate for this sludge and MSW mixture. The laboratory scale reactors produced 231 L and 202 L of methane per kgVS at the mesophilic temperatures of 38°C and 45°C respectively. The degradation was faster in the 45°C reactor where methane production was completely exhausted after 35 days. A laboratory reactor operated at 55°C reactor showed little degradation activity. The pH of this reactor was initially over 8.5, and ammonia inhibition was suspected. However, the reactor did not respond to pH adjustments with hydrochloric acid, and subsequent step decreases in temperature did not have an effect until 47°C, where degradation suddenly accelerated. This suggests the methanogenic consortia in the sludge could not adapt to thermophilic temperatures. This was confirmed in the 63°C reactor which acidified and did not produce methane, until leachate from this reactor was transferred to the 45°C reactor where an established methanogenic community converted the soluble COD to methane. In order to compare laboratory reactor performance with the general literature, pure cellulose was added in a fed-batch fashion to the stabilised 38°C and 47°C leach-beds. The beds were fed under starved conditions, to clearly distinguish degradation products from the cellulose from background levels. This also allowed for the estimation of biomass growth by measuring the uptake of NH4-N, as all other bio-available N sources such as protein and amino acids were reduced to NH4-N under these starved conditions. Hydrolysis rates were determined to be 0.12±0.01 d-1 and 0.14±0.026 d-1 at the 38°C and 47°C temperatures. Degradation in the two test cells was completed within a 7 month period. Temperature in the cells was maintained between 25 – 30°C by biological activity, levels that were above ambient temperatures, but below ideal mesophilic conditions. Methane composition rapidly approached 50% in both cells, and biogas flow rates were consistent with a degradation timeframe in the order of less than year. Full flow rate data was not obtained from these trials due to mechanical problems with flow meters, however vigorous gas production was evident throughout the trial by monitoring gas composition, and the ballooning effect of the top cover. To confirm the degradation rates in the test cells, samples were collected from the second test cell and digested in laboratory reactors. Methane yields were only 2.4 and 6.4 L CH4 kgVS-1 confirming virtual exhaustion of biogas potential within 7 months of sequencing this MSW cell with the first MSW:sludge test cell. This is the first systematic experimental program that places the degradation performance of a test cell in the context of the potential degradation rate achievable with fine shredding, temperature control and thorough inoculation and buffering. Economically, in cases where degradation residues are left insitu as in landfills, the degradation enhancement in the test cells would effectively yield as much benefit as enhancing the degradation rate to a two to three week timeframe typical of an anaerobic digester (Clarke 2000).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 248-258). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Orientador: João Cláudio Thoméo / Banca: José Teixeira Freire / Banca: Maria Aparecida Mauro / Resumo: O propósito deste trabalho foi obter parâmetros físicos e térmicos para simulação de reatores de leito fixo para fermentação em estado sólido (FES), empregando rejeitos sólidos agroindustriais como substratos e fungos como agentes fermentativos. Os materiais estudados foram bagaço de cana, resíduo agroindustrial comumente empregado na FES, e um meio composto por bagaços de cana e laranja e farelo de trigo na proporção 1:2:2 (p/p), substrato empregado para obtenção de enzimas pectinolíticas por FES. Foi determinada a condutividade térmica na estagnação (K0) pelo método da sonda linear. Observou-se que a condutividade era muito baixa para os recheios secos (inferior a 0,1 W/mºC), mas aumentava bruscamente para recheios muito úmidos (atingindo 0,5 W/mºC), o que foi atribuído à condução de calor através da água. Também foram determinados os parâmetros térmicos dos leitos percolados por ar com baixas vazões, típicas da FES. Os valores da condutividade térmica efetiva radial (Kr) obtidos foram muito baixos, tendendo ao valor da estagnação, e os valores do coeficiente convectivo de transferência de calor parede-fluido (hp) foram muito inferiores aos encontrados na literatura, devido às baixas vazões de ar. Foram desenvolvidos programas para aquisição de dados experimentais de temperatura por meio do software de interface gráfica LabView (National Instruments). Também foram desenvolvidos programas em MatLab para cálculo dos parâmetros térmicos dos sistemas, tanto para o modelo unidimensional (coeficiente global U) quanto para o bidimensional. Esses programas permitiram calcular os parâmetros térmicos imediatamente após aquisição dos dados do processo. Programas de simulação numérica foram desenvolvidos em MatLab para simular o crescimento do fungo termofílico Thermomucor indicae seudaticae N31 e o comportamento térmico do processo de FES... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The purpose of this work was to get physical and thermal parameters for simulation of reactors of fixed packed beds percolated by air for solid state fermentation (SSF), using agro- industrial solid residues as substrata and molds as fermentative agents. The materials studied were sugar cane bagasse, agro-industrial residue commonly used in SSF, and a medium composed by sugar cane and orange bagasses and wheat bran in ratio 1:2:2 (w/w), substratum used for pectinolitics enzymes attainment for SSF. The thermal conductivity on stagnation (K0) was determined by heating linear method. It was observed that the conductivity was very low for dried materials (below 0,1 W/mºC), but increased brusquely for very humid materials (reaching 0,5 W/mºC), what it was admitted to be due to conduction of heat through the water. Also the thermal parameters of the fixed packed beds percolated by air with low outflows, typical of SSF, had been determined. The values of the thermal conductivity radial effective (Kr) gotten had been very low, tending to the value of the stagnation, and the values of the convective coefficient of heat transfer wall-fluid (hp) had been very below to the found on literature, which had to the low air outflows. Programs for acquisition of experimental data of temperature by means of the software of graphical interface LabView had been developed (National Instruments). Also programs in MatLab for calculation of the thermal parameters of the systems had been developed, as much for the one-dimensional model (global coefficient U) how much for the two-dimensional. These programs had allowed calculating the thermal parameters immediately after acquisition of the data of the process. Programs of numerical simulation had been developed in MatLab to simulate the growth of thermopile mold Thermomucor indicae seudaticae N31 and the thermal behavior of the process of SSF lead by Umsza Guez... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

O mercado de biorreatores com membranas (BRMs) têm exibido alto crescimento. Contudo, o fouling diminui o desempenho desses sistemas drasticamente. A aeração promove a mitigação do fouling, mas possui alto custo operacional (de até 70% do total da demanda energética) e é utilizada de forma otimizada apenas 10% das vezes, gerando a necessidade de estudos sobre a hidrodinâmica em BRMs. Ferramentas de dinâmica de fluidos computacional (CFD) são úteis para esse tipo de análise. Um dos primeiros passos para encontrar uma solução apropriada em simulações numéricas é propor uma modelagem correta. Dentre os fenômenos a serem modelados, os efeitos da turbulência são provavelmente um dos mais importantes; porém, nenhum artigo que comparasse predições com base na escolha de modelo de turbulência para simulações de sistemas BRM foi encontrado. Dessa forma, o objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar a importância da escolha do modelo de turbulência para simulações de biorreatores com membranas através de CFD. Para isso, as predições obtidas de velocidade local próxima às superfícies das membranas e de tensão cisalhante nessas superfícies para duas taxas de aeração, 5 e 15 m³/h, empregando dois modelos de turbulência, k-ϵ com funções de parede para alto (aR) e para baixo número de Reynolds (bR) e k-ω SST (Shear Stress Transport) com funções de parede automáticas, na análise de um sistema BRM foram comparadas entre si e com dados experimentais e simulados disponíveis na literatura. Os perfis temporais da velocidade e da tensão cisalhante exibiram alta variabilidade no período das oscilações em certos pontos, exigindo um longo tempo de escoamento para a convergência das variáveis locais. Identificou-se a necessidade de outorgar maior importância à definição do intervalo de tempo de coleta de dados experimentais, de modo a adquirir médias representativas do perfil dinâmico das variáveis e destes perfis serem também analisados para comparações mais definitivas entre resultados de simulações e medições experimentais. As diferenças, entre as medições experimentais da literatura e predições, obtidas pelas simulações deste trabalho foram, no geral, de ordem similar ou menores que as obtidas pelas simulações na literatura. Além disso, maior atenção deve ser dada à escolha da estratégia de modelagem de turbulência, visto que houve alta sensibilidade das predições, que variaram em até 21,6% dependendo dessa escolha. / Membrane bioreactors (MBR) market has been showing high growth rates over recent years. However, membrane fouling drastically reduces MBR overall performance. Aeration promotes fouling mitigation, but at a high operational cost (up to 70% of the MBR energy demand) and it is optimally employed only in 10% of the cases. This created the need of studies focused on MBR hydrodynamic. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a useful tool for hydrodynamic analysis. One of the first steps in finding a proper solution for numerical simulation is proposing a correct modelling. Among the phenomena to be modelled for MBR simulations, turbulence effects are probably one of the most important; nevertheless, no paper comparing the predictions based on the turbulence model choice for MBR simulations was found. In sight of that, this work aimed to verify the relevance of the choice of turbulence model for MBR simulations through CFD. Predictions of local velocities near membranes surfaces and of local shear stress on those surfaces, for two aeration rates (5 and 15 m³/h), employing k-ϵ with wall functions for high (aR) and low (bR) Reynolds number and k-ω SST with automatic wall functions, on the analysis of a MRB system, were compared between each other and with experimental and simulated data available in the literature. The velocity and shear stress temporal profiles showed oscillations with highly variable periods in some points, which required a long process real time to verify the local variables convergence. It was identified the need to give more importance to the definition of the time interval for experimental data collection in order to acquire reliable temporal means; also, one must properly analyze the temporal profiles for more definitive comparisons between predictions and experimental measurements. The differences, between experimental data and predictions, obtained through this work simulations were, in general, of similar order or smaller than the ones reported in the literature. Besides, more attention must be given to the turbulence modelling choices, since the predictions obtained here were highly sensitive to those choices, showing differences up to 21,6% among them.