Biofiltration For Air Pollution Control

The number-one environmental threat to public health, air pollution remains a pressing problem-made even more complicated by the massive quantity and diversity of air pollution sources. Biofiltration technology (using micro-organisms growing on porous media) is being recognized as one of the most advantageous means to convert pollutants to harmless products. Done properly, biofiltration works at a reasonable cost-utilizing inexpensive components, without requiring fuel or generating hazardous by-products. Firmly established in Europe, biofiltration techniques are being increasingly applied in North America: Biofiltration for Air Pollution Control offers the necessary knowledge to "do it right."

The number-one environmental threat to public health, air pollution remains a pressing problem-made even more complicated by the massive quantity and diversity of air pollution sources. Biofiltration technology (using micro-organisms growing on porous media) is being recognized as one of the most advantageous means to convert pollutants to harmless products. Done properly, biofiltration works at a reasonable cost-utilizing inexpensive components, without requiring fuel or generating hazardous by-products. Firmly established in Europe, biofiltration techniques are being increasingly applied in North America: Biofiltration for Air Pollution Control offers the necessary knowledge to "do it right."

The number-one environmental threat to public health, air pollution remains a pressing problem-made even more complicated by the massive quantity and diversity of air pollution sources. Biofiltration technology (using micro-organisms growing on porous media) is being recognized as one of the most advantageous means to convert pollutants to harmless products. Done properly, biofiltration works at a reasonable cost-utilizing inexpensive components, without requiring fuel or generating hazardous by-products. Firmly established in Europe, biofiltration techniques are being increasingly applied in North America: Biofiltration for Air Pollution Control offers the necessary knowledge to "do it right."

Master's Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Chemistry - Bio-chemistry, , course: Master Degree, language: English, abstract: Modern air pollution control technologies have emerged over the past 40 years to mitigate emission problems in industrial facilities and thereby comply with environmental regulations. A variety of technologies have been developed to meet the needs of both the industries and the regulatory agencies keeping in view the techno economics. Some air pollutants like H2S, NH3 and VOC’s are emitted in the industry causes odour and this not only causes occupational health but also damages public image of the company. Engineered biofiltration is a sustainable technology for VOC and odor control. Bio-filtration is a method of pollution control in which pollutants are biologically degraded using microorganisms. Generally, the energy demands for biofiltration are one-fourth to one-tenth that of physico-chemical destructive technologies. Biofilters are being developed and effectively used for a wide variety of industries, including wood products, paint manufacturing, petroleum remediation etc. Biofilters are cost-effective and straightforward options for pollutants capable of biodegrading reasonably easily. Triethylamine(TEA) is a Volatile organic compound widely used as a catalyst for polymerization reactions and a solvent and corrosion inhibitor in industry and it is also used as an intermediate in the production of various chemicals, including pesticides. It is necessary to remove TEA from water and gas in the environment. TEA gas-phase bio treatment has emerged as an effective and inexpensive alternative to conventional physicochemical treatment systems. The technology is still under development in terms of economics, equipment, process kinetics, and operational skills and different layouts and flow trains are being proposed including biofiltration, biotrickling filter, and bioscrubber. In the present work, studies are being carried out on biofilter contaminated with TEA. The contaminated gas is passed through a packed bed where TEA compound is absorbed into the biofilm in which diffusion and aerobic biodegradation occur simultaneously in a complex set of physical, chemical and biological interactions. Therefore, selection of suitable microbial consortia and biofilter configuration is very important from commercial perspective.

Academic Paper from the year 2008 in the subject Physics - Biophysics, , language: English, abstract: Biofiltration may be used to control indoor air pollution. In biofiltration, contaminants in a gas stream are degraded by microorganisms and converted to carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. In this study, the CO2 production and the elimination capacity (EC) of toluene at inlet concentrations between 20 and 80 ppm were investigated using three biofilters operated separately with soil as bed material. Results showed soil, with its rich microflora taken to full advantage without inoculants and additional nutrients, biodegraded toluene at removal rates comparable to those in other studies at higher concentrations. The quantity of CO2 produced correlates with the quantity of toluene removed which implies effective biodegradation and suggests stable long-term operation at these low concentrations. Though the concentrations used in this study are not typical toluene indoor concentrations (ppb), results show biofiltration may be effective for indoor air pollution control with proper design considering biomass growth or biofilm structure, concentration, and gas flow rate.

Air pollution, a major concern at the end of the 20th century, still remains a significant problem to be solved today. Traditionally, industrial waste gases have primarily been treated through physical or chemical methods. The search for new, efficient, and cost-effective alternative technologies has led to the development and, more recently, the improvement of gas phase bioreactors. This book is the first single text to provide a complete, comprehensive picture of all major biological reactors suitable for solving air pollution problems. The text describes the main features and covers the major aspects, from microbiological to engineering, as well as economic aspects, of the different types of bioreactors. The book also presents an in-depth review of the subject, from fundamental bench-scale research to industrial field applications related to the operation of full-scale systems successfully treating polluted air in Europe and the United States. Material dedicated to more conventional non-biological technologies has also been included, to provide a complete overview of the different alternative treatment processes. Audience: The different chapters have been written by international experts, as a result of a fruitful collaboration between European and American scientists and engineers. The resulting text is a high quality, valuable reference tool for a variety of readers, including graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, professors, engineers, and those professionals who are interested in environmental engineering and, more specifically, in innovative air pollution control technologies.

From Biofiltration to Promising Options in Gaseous Fluxes Biotreatment: Recent Developments, New Trends, Advances, and Opportunities provides an overview on the biological tools used for the treatment of the gaseous fluxes, with emphasis on traditional and perspective options, opening new horizons for research and implementation in practice. It is known that air pollution is an emergent global issue and a priority within the international environmental programs. Moreover, technologies based on biological methods are significantly contributing to the sustainable development concept. Thus this book provides tools for solving air pollution issues in a sustainable manner. These issues can be solved at different levels (e.g., "end-of-pipe" gaseous streams, indoor/outdoor air, closed environments), which can be approached by the different biotechniques presented in the book, from classical biofiltration techniques (part 1) to phytotreatment and microalgae-based techniques (part 2). Although all options have their particularities that make them special for certain applications, a special attention is drawn to the potential of the last one, which offers multiple possibilities for biomass valorization. Scientists from worldwide with relevant experience in their field have been contributed to the development of this book. Presents the main biotechnological aspects applied for gas purification, focusing on process understanding, limitations, and capability in different applications Promotes a sustainable future of the biofiltration process by enhancing their performance together with the simultaneously economic and environmental impacts Implements new aspects of scientific research and development in the field