Evaluation of Trickle Bed Air Biofilter Performance for BTEX Removal
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 123, Issue 6
Abstract
Biofiltration of a gaseous stream contaminated with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the three xylene (BTEX) compounds was evaluated in this study. Experimental investigations were conducted on a pilot-scale biofilter containing randomly packed 6-mm R-635 Celite pellets as biological attachment media. The main focus of the study was to expand biofiltration technology to treat high volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentrations while maintaining consistently high removal efficiencies. Operational parameters investigated were BTEX loading, empty bed residence time (EBRT), backwashing frequency and duration, recovery of biofilter removal efficiency after backwashing, development of removal rate constants, and nutrient-phosphorous (nutrient-P) limitation as a biomass control. Periodic backwashing of the biofilter with medium fluidization was necessary for removing excess biomass and attaining stable long-term high removal efficiencies. Removal efficiencies above 99% were achieved for all the BTEX components for loadings up to 1.8 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/m3/d. Stable overall removal efficiencies of 88% were achieved for a BTEX loading of 6.2 kg COD/m3/d and an EBRT of 0.67 min. Evaluations of pseudo–steady-state performance data, one day following backwashing, yielded first-order removal rate constants for all the BTEX components. Removal efficiencies above 99% at BTEX loading of 2.1 kg COD/m3/d were attained for a period of 14 d without biofilter backwashing in the absence of nutrient-P.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Corsi, R. L., and Seed, L.(1995). “Biofiltration of BTEX: media, substrate, and loading effects.”Envir. Progress, 14(3), 151–158.
2.
Holubar, P., Andorfer, C., and Braun, R. (1995). “Prevention of clogging in trickling filters for purification of hydrocarbon-contaminated waste air.”Proc., 1995 Conf. on Biofiltration, Univ. of Southern California and the Reynolds Group, Tustin, Calif., 115–121.
3.
Kamarthi, R., and Willingham, R. T. (1994). “Bench-scale evaluation of air pollution control technology based on biological treatment process.”Proc., 87th Annu. Meeting and Exhibition of the Air and Waste Mgmt. Assn.: Paper No. 94-RP115B.05, Pittsburgh, Pa.
4.
Leson, G., and Winer, A. M.(1991). “Biofiltration: an innovative air pollution control technology for VOC emissions.”J. Air and Waste Mgmt. Assn., 41(8), 1045–1054.
5.
Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. (1991). Waste water engineering: treatment, disposal, reuse, 3rd Ed., revised by G. Tchobanoglous and F. L. Burton, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, N.Y., 394, 534.
6.
Ottengraf, S. P. P. (1986). “Exhaust gas purification.”Biotechnology, H. J. Rehn and G. Reed, eds., VCH Verlagsgesellschraft, Weinham, Germany, Vol. 8, 425–452.
7.
Severin, B. F., Shi, J., and Hayes, T. (1993). “Destruction of gas industry VOCs in a biofilter.”Proc., IGT 6th Int. Symp. on Gas, Oil, and Envir. Technol.
8.
Smith, F. L., Sorial, G. A., Suidan, M. T., Biswas, P., and Brenner, R. C. (1994). “Pilot-scale evaluation of alternative biofilter attachment media for the treatment of VOCs.”Proc., EPA Symp. on Bioremediation of Haz. Wastes: Res., Devel., and Field Evaluations, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., 89–97.
9.
Smith, F. L., Sorial, G. A., Suidan, M. T., Pandit, A., and Brenner, R. C. (1995). “Management of high-rate trickle bed biofilters.”Innovative technologies for site remediation, R. D. Vidic and F. G. Pohland, eds., ASCE Symp. Ser., ASCE, New York, N.Y., 489–496.
10.
Smith, F. L., Sorial, G. A., Suidan, M. T., Biswas, P., and Brenner, R. C.(1996). “Development of two biomass control strategies for extended, stable operation of highly efficient biofilters with high toluene loadings.”Envir. Sci. Technol., 30, 1744–1751.
11.
Sorial, G. A., Smith, F. L., Smith, P. J., Suidan, M. T., Biswas, P., and Brenner, R. C. (1993a). “Development of aerobic biofilter design criteria for treating VOCs.”Proc., 86th Annu. Meeting and Exhibition of the Air and Waste Mgmt. Assn., Paper No. 93-TP-52A.04, Pittsburgh, Pa.
12.
Sorial, G. A., Smith, F. L., Smith, P. J., Suidan, M. T., Biswas, P., and Brenner, R. C. (1993b). “Evaluation of biofilter media for treatment of air streams containing VOCs.”Proc., Water Envir. Fed. 66th Annu. Conf. and Exposition, Water Envir. Fed., Alexandria, Va., Vol. 10, 429–439.
13.
Sorial, G. A., Smith, F. L., Suidan, M. T., Biswas, P., and Brenner, R. C. (1994). “Evaluation of performance of trickle bed biofilters—impact of periodic removal of accumulated biomass.”Proc., 87th Annu. Meeting and Exhibition of the Air and Waste Mgmt. Assn., Paper No. 94-RA115A.05, Pittsburgh, Pa.
14.
Sorial, G. A., Smith, F. L., Suidan, M. T., Biswas, P., and Brenner, R. C.(1995a). “Evaluation of trickle bed biofilter media for toluene removal.”J. Air and Waste Mgmt. Assn., 45(10), 801–810.
15.
Sorial, G. A., Smith, F. L., Pandit, P., Suidan, M. T., Biswas, P., and Brenner, R. C. (1995b). “Performance of trickle bed biofilters under high toluene loading.”Proc., 88th Annu. Meeting and Exhibition of the Air and Waste Mgmt. Assn., Paper No. 95-TA9B.04, Pittsburgh, Pa.
16.
Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. (1995). 19th Ed., Am. Public Health Assn., Washington, D.C.
17.
Togna, A. P., Sklandany, G. J., and Caratura, J. M. (1994). “Treatment of BTEX and petroleum hydrocarbon vapors using a field-pilot biofilter.”Proc., 49th Purdue Industrial Waste Conf., Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Fla., 437–448.
18.
Utgikar, V., Govind, R., Shan, Y., Safferman, S., and Brenner, R. C. (1991). “Biodegradation of volatile organic chemicals in a biofilter.”Emerging Technologies in Hazardous Waste Management II, D. W. Tedder and F. G. Pohland, eds., ACS Symp. Ser., Am. Chemical Soc., Washington, D.C., 233–260.
19.
van Groenestijin, J., Harkes, M., Cox, H., and Doddema, H. (1995). “Ceramic materials in biofiltration.”Proc., 1995 Conf. on Biofiltration, Univ. of Southern California and the Reynolds Group, Tustin, Calif., 317–323.
20.
Weber, F. J., and Hartmans, S.(1995). “Use of activated carbon as buffer in biofiltration of waste gases with fluctuating concentrations of toluene.”Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 43, 365–369.
21.
Weber, F. J., and Hartmans, S.(1994). “Toluene degradation in a trickle bed reactor—prevention of clogging.”VDI BERICHTE NR, 1104, 161–168.
22.
Wright, W. F., Davidova, Y., Schroeder, E. D., Chang, D. P. Y., Romstad, K., and Weigel, S. (1995). “Performance of a compost biofilter treating gasoline from a soil vapor extraction operation.”Proc., 1995 Conf. on Biofiltration, Univ. of Southern California and the Reynolds Group, Tustin, Calif., D. S. Hodge and F. E. Reynolds, eds., 19–43.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 123 • Issue 6 • June 1997
Pages: 530 - 537
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Jun 1, 1997
Published in print: Jun 1997
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.