Effects of Nitrogen and Oxygen on Biofilter Performance

Autor: Yang, He, Minuth, Beatrice, Allen, D.Grant
Zdroj: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association; March 2002, Vol. 52 Issue: 3 p279-286, 8p
Abstrakt: AbstractThree laboratory-scale biofilters packed with inert material were used to study the nitrogen and oxygen requirements for biofiltration of methanol. Mixtures of methanol with inorganic nitrogen (NH3or NO3) at nitrogen-to-carbon (N:C) ratios ranging from 0.015 to 0.4 were employed to reveal nitrogen effects on biofiltration. In the oxygen study, mixtures of air and oxygen at different oxygen contents were used. At low nitrogen levels, the removal rate increased with increasing N:C ratio for both NH3and NO3. However, at high concentrations, NH3had an inhibitory effect on biodegradation while the removal rate reached a plateau at high NO3concentrations. Biofiltration with 63% oxygen in the inlet gas stream increased the maximum removal rate from 120 to 145 g/m3/hr after 3 days in comparison with biofiltration with air. However, a further increase in oxygen content up to 80% did not lead to a further improvement in biofilter performance, suggesting that both oxygen and biofilm thickness can be the relevant factors limiting biofilter performance and creating the plateau in removal rates at high loadings.
Databáze: Supplemental Index