Reducing Benzene and Cresol Levels in National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Pilot-Scale Biorefinergy Scrubber Water
The Thermochemical Process Development Unit at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory converts biomass into energy by gasification or pyrolysis. The aqueous effluent generated in these processes must be disposed of as hazardous waste according to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act because certain components exceed the regulatory concentration limit. Gas stripping of the scrubber water was investigated as a method of reducing benzene and cresol levels. A custom-designed packed-bed column was built and a half-factorial experimental design was implemented to determine the effects of gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, and column packing height on the final benzene concentration in the liquid. The experimental results show that packing height had a significant effect on final benzene concentration; gas flow rate and liquid flow rate had little effect. The effects of each design variable on final cresol concentration were not determined. Although the current column design did significantly reduce the benzene and cresol levels in the scrubber water, it did not reduce the concentrations below the regulatory limits. A full-factorial experimental design will be implemented with an increased packing height. Other variables, including column diameter and packing type, will be investigated to determine their effects on final benzene and cresol concentrations. Once the packed-bed column is determined to be effective in reducing contaminant concentrations below the regulatory limit, photocatalytic oxidation will be explored for remediating the benzene and cresol from the gas stream.
- Research Organization:
- DOESC (USDOE Office of Science (SC) (United States))
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI ID:
- 1051656
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Undergraduate Research, Vol. 4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Parameters influencing the aerosol capture performance of the Submerged-Bed Scrubber
FINAL REPORT REGULATORY OFF GAS EMISSIONS TESTING ON THE DM1200 MELTER SYSTEM USING HLW AND LAW SIMULANTS VSL-05R5830-1 REV 0 10/31/05