Nutrient Limitation in a Compost Biofilter Degrading Hexane

Autor: Eberhard, Morgenroth, Edward D, Schroeder, Daniel P Y, Chang, Kate M, Scow
Rok vydání: 2017
Zdroj: Journal of the AirWaste Management Association (1995). 46(4)
ISSN: 2162-2906
Popis: A laboratory-scale compost-based biofilter was operated over a six-month period to study the requirements for removal of n-hexane from air. Hexane is a relatively short chain aliphatic hydrocarbon with a high Henry's coefficient and a low water solubility. Acclimation of the biofilter was slow, but removal efficiencies around 80% were achieved after one month of operation. However, performance decreased during the next two months of operation to 50% removal efficiency. Nutrient limitation was proposed as a reason for the decrease in reactor performance. After the addition of a concentrated nitrogen solution, reactor performance increased almost immediately to99%. Removal efficiency remained above 99% for the following two months of operation at inlet concentrations of 0.7 g/m3 (200 ppmv), at superficial bed velocities approaching 50 m/h, and empty bed residence times of about one minute. Thus, nutrient availability may well limit biofilter performance even in compost- based units. It was shown that nutrients can be added effectively in a soluble form if compost quality is poor and a method is proposed for the evaluation of compost quality.
Databáze: OpenAIRE