Water Science & Technology Vol 43 No 3 pp 231–239 © IWA Publishing 2001
Period biofilter operation for enhanced performance during unsteady-state
loading conditions
R.L. Irvine* and W.M. Moe**
*
Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, University of Notre
Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
**
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State
University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6405, USA
ABSTRACT
In conventional biofilter operation, contaminated air is passed continuously
through packed beds containing microbial consortia capable of contaminant
biotransformation. This paper describes how biofilters can be designed
and operated as controlled unsteady-state, periodic processes for the
destruction of gas-phase contaminants. Such operation, previously
limited to applications in wastewater treatment and soil remediation,
increases an operator's ability to control the physiological state,
"robustness," and spatial distribution of the microbial
communities established within the biofilter and, thus, minimizes
uncertainties that often accompany design and operation of biological
systems. Results are presented from toluene degrading biofilters that
used 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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