Water Science and Technology Vol 41 No 4-5 pp 441–444 © IWA Publishing 2000
Performance of periodically operated-gas phase biofilters during
transient loading conditions
W.M. Moe* and R.L. Irvine**
*
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State
University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6405, USA
**
Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, University of
Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
ABSTRACT
Most industrial processes and environmental remediation activities
generate large volumes of air contaminated with volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). In conventional biofilter operation, gaseous emissions
contaminated with low concentrations of biodegradable VOCs are remediated
by being passed continuously through packed beds. This paper describes how
periodically operated biofilters can be designed as controlled,
unsteady-state systems that destroy gas-phase contaminants. Periodic
operation, previously limited to applications in wastewater treatment
and soil remediation, increases an operator's ability to control the
spatial distribution, physiological state, and "robustness" of the microbial communities established within a biofilter while minimizing
uncertainties that often accompany design and operation of biological
systems. Results are presented from toluene degrading biofilters that
used a novel polyurethane foam packing medium. These studies demonstrate
how controlled periodic operations can enhance contaminant removal during
transient periods of elevated contaminant load.
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