Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Supplemental Files

File List


photos.pdf (1.42 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Pilot-scale Development of Trickle Bed Air Biofiltration Employing Deep Biofilms, for the Purification of Air Polluted with Biodegradable VOCs

Smith, Francis Lee

Abstract Details

1999, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Engineering : Environmental Engineering.

Increasing regulatory pressure for VOC emissions reduction has accelerated the development of more cost effective VOC air pollution control (APC) technologies. Biofiltration is a viable technology to fill this role, for the purification of air streams polluted with biodegradable VOCs. In the biofilter, these pollutants diffuse from the air stream into a stationary mass of moist biological film, where they are oxidized by enzymatic catalysis at ambient pressures and temperatures. Properly operated, this natural, biological mineralization process will produce only benign by-products, such as inorganic salts, carbon dioxide, and water, with some additional biomass. Although research into the science and development of the technology of biofiltration has been performed for over fifteen years, biofiltration remains not widely accepted as a proven technology for VOC APC. This perception is especially true for applications treating high influent VOC concentrations and requiring high VOC removal efficiencies.

This research was undertaken to develop a new, cost effective biofiltration technology which can reliably treat air streams polluted with high VOC concentrations and achieve very high removal (elimination) efficiencies. Investigations were made to evaluate different biological attachment media, in order to identify the medium most suited to such an application. Using this medium, a reliable biofiltration technology was developed and extensively tested, which can achieve the goal of reliably treating high concentrations of VOCs at high loadings with high removal efficiency. Techniques for the management and control of the accumulating by-product biomass were developed. Procedures are presented for the calculation of VOC solubility and biological kinetic parameters, at the biofiltration operating temperature. A procedure for estimating the upper limit for biofiltration for the influent air VOC concentrations is presented. A simple, explicit biofilter design equation was developed and demonstrated. Finally, a design heuristic was developed and presented, as a guide to engineers in the design of economically optimal biofiltration facilities.

Makram Suidan (Advisor)
149 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Smith, F. L. (1999). Pilot-scale Development of Trickle Bed Air Biofiltration Employing Deep Biofilms, for the Purification of Air Polluted with Biodegradable VOCs [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1034206999

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Smith, Francis. Pilot-scale Development of Trickle Bed Air Biofiltration Employing Deep Biofilms, for the Purification of Air Polluted with Biodegradable VOCs. 1999. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1034206999.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Smith, Francis. "Pilot-scale Development of Trickle Bed Air Biofiltration Employing Deep Biofilms, for the Purification of Air Polluted with Biodegradable VOCs." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 1999. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1034206999

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)