Modeling an Airlift Bioscrubber for Removal of Airphase BTEX
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 11
Abstract
Biological treatment of airstreams has been shown to be useful when the airstreams are contaminated with low concentrations of volatile organic chemicals. One type of airphase biological reactor, the bioscrubber, has operational advantages over the two other types of airphase bioreactors, biofilters, and biotrickling filters. The airlift bioscrubber is a new bioscrubber configuration that offers some advantages over the conventional two-stage bioscrubber. In this work, a practical mathematical model was developed for the airlift bioscrubber for the removal of aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene. The model input parameters were defined, and typical values were determined from the published literature. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on the mathematical model to define the operating range of the airlift bioscrubber for the removal of the benzene, toluene, and ethylene compounds. In addition, the sensitivity analysis results were used to define the range of testing that is appropriate for laboratory validation and calibration of the proposed mathematical model.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 125 • Issue 11 • November 1999
Pages: 1062 - 1070
History
Received: Feb 24, 1999
Published online: Nov 1, 1999
Published in print: Nov 1999
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