TY - JOUR
T1 - Removal of benzene under acidic conditions in a controlled Trickle Bed Air Biofilter
AU - Aly Hassan, Ashraf
AU - Sorial, George A.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the financial support from National Science Foundation under award # CBET 0852803. The finding and conclusions expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessary reflect the views of the Foundation.
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Trickle Bed Air Biofilters (TBABs) are considered to be economical and environmental-friendly for treatment of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Hydrophilic VOCs are easily degradable while hydrophobic ones pose a great challenge for adequate treatment due to the transfer of the VOC to the liquid phase. In this study the utilization of acidic pH is proposed for the treatment of benzene vapors. The acidic pH would encourage the growth of fungi as the main consortium. A TBAB operated at pH 4 was used for the treatment of an air stream contaminated with benzene under different loading rates ranging from 37 to 76.8g/(m3h). The purpose of introducing fungi was to compare the performance with traditional TBAB operating under neutral pH in order to assess the biodegradation of benzene in mixtures with other compounds favoring acidic conditions. The experimental plan was designed to assess long-term performance with emphasis based on different benzene loading rates, removal efficiency with TBAB depth, and carbon mass balance closure. At benzene loading rate of 64g/(m3h), the removal efficiency was 90%. At the maximum loading rate of 77g/(m3h), the removal efficiency was 75% marking the maximum elimination capacity for the TBAB at 58.8g/(m3h). Operating at acidic pH successfully supported the degradation of benzene in TBAB. It is worthwhile to note that benzene appears in mixtures with n-hexane and toluene, which are reported to be better degraded under such conditions.
AB - Trickle Bed Air Biofilters (TBABs) are considered to be economical and environmental-friendly for treatment of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Hydrophilic VOCs are easily degradable while hydrophobic ones pose a great challenge for adequate treatment due to the transfer of the VOC to the liquid phase. In this study the utilization of acidic pH is proposed for the treatment of benzene vapors. The acidic pH would encourage the growth of fungi as the main consortium. A TBAB operated at pH 4 was used for the treatment of an air stream contaminated with benzene under different loading rates ranging from 37 to 76.8g/(m3h). The purpose of introducing fungi was to compare the performance with traditional TBAB operating under neutral pH in order to assess the biodegradation of benzene in mixtures with other compounds favoring acidic conditions. The experimental plan was designed to assess long-term performance with emphasis based on different benzene loading rates, removal efficiency with TBAB depth, and carbon mass balance closure. At benzene loading rate of 64g/(m3h), the removal efficiency was 90%. At the maximum loading rate of 77g/(m3h), the removal efficiency was 75% marking the maximum elimination capacity for the TBAB at 58.8g/(m3h). Operating at acidic pH successfully supported the degradation of benzene in TBAB. It is worthwhile to note that benzene appears in mixtures with n-hexane and toluene, which are reported to be better degraded under such conditions.
KW - Biodegradation
KW - Biofiltration
KW - Empty Bed Residence Time (EBRT)
KW - Fungi
KW - Trickle Bed Air Biofilter (TBAB)
KW - VOCs
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77957865627&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77957865627&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.08.042
DO - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.08.042
M3 - Article
C2 - 20869171
AN - SCOPUS:77957865627
SN - 0304-3894
VL - 184
SP - 345
EP - 349
JO - Journal of Hazardous Materials
JF - Journal of Hazardous Materials
IS - 1-3
ER -