Modeling biofiltration of VOC mixtures under steady-state conditions

Journal Article · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Journal of Environmental Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9372(1997)123:6(599)· OSTI ID:509261

Baltzis, B C ^[1]; Wojdyla, S M ^[2]; Zarook, S M ^[3]

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1. New Jersey Inst. of Tech., Newark, NJ (United States)
2. Merck and Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ (United States)
3. King Fahd Univ. of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran (Saudi Arabia). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

Treatment of air streams contaminated with binary volatile organic compound (VOC) mixtures in classical biofilters under steady-state conditions of operation was described with a general mathematical model. The model accounts for potential kinetic interactions among the pollutants, effects of oxygen availability on biodegradation, and biomass diversification in the filter bed. While the effects of oxygen were always taken into account, two distinct cases were considered for the experimental model validation. The first involves kinetic interactions, but no biomass differentiation, used for describing data from biofiltration of benzene/toluene mixtures. The second case assumes that each pollutant is treated by a different type of biomass. Each biomass type is assumed to form separate patches of biofilm on the solid packing material, thus kinetic interference does not occur. This model was used for describing biofiltration of ethanol/butanol mixtures. Experiments were performed with classical biofilters packed with mixtures of peat moss and perlite (2:3, volume:volume). The model equations were solved through the use of computer codes based on the fourth-order Runge-Kutta technique for the gas-phase mass balances and the method of orthogonal collocation for the concentration profiles in the biofilms. Good agreement between model predictions and experimental data was found in almost all cases. Oxygen was found to be extremely important in the case of polar VOCs (ethanol/butanol).

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 509261
• Journal Information: Journal of Environmental Engineering, Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Engineering Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 123; ISSN 0733-9372; ISSN JOEEDU
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
BIODEGRADATION
BIOREACTORS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
VOLATILE MATTER