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Formaldehyde Removal from Airstreams Using a Biofilter with a Mixture of Compost and Woodchips Medium

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Abstract

The performance of a laboratory-scale biofilter packed with a mixture of compost and woodchip on formaldehyde removal from polluted air streams was investigated. The reactor was inoculated with aerobic sludge as a source of bacteria, obtained from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. A nutrient solution was daily added to the reactor media. An airflow containing different concentrations of formaldehyde (from 20 ± 2 to 276 ± 5 mg m−3) was introduced into the reactor. In inlet formaldehyde concentration, an average removal efficiency and elimination capacity of 91 % and 0.36 g m−3 h−1 were attained, respectively, at180 s empty bed residence time (EBRT). After acclimatization of the system for increased formaldehyde concentrations of up to 276 ± 5 mg m−3 and for EBRT of 180 s, those values were stabilized at around 72 % and 3.98g−3 h−1, respectively. The experimental results showed that the system was effective for a high loading rate of formaldehyde with an acceptable EBRT. Compared to the application of compost alone as a media, a mixture of compost and woodchip (50/50 v/v%) enhanced the performance of the biofilter. The most predominant microorganism involved in the biodegradation of formaldehyde was a species of citrobacter called Citrobacter freundii, an aerobic gram-negative bacillus. Pressure drop of the reactor over the entire operations was about 1 mmH2O m−1.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the research deputy of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) for support for this work via grant no. 391241.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, HezarJerib St., Isfahan, Iran

    Mohsen Rezaei & Yaghoub Hajizadeh

  2. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran

    Mehdi Fazlzadehdavil

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  1. Mohsen Rezaei
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  2. Mehdi Fazlzadehdavil
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  3. Yaghoub Hajizadeh
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Correspondence to Yaghoub Hajizadeh.

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Rezaei, M., Fazlzadehdavil, M. & Hajizadeh, Y. Formaldehyde Removal from Airstreams Using a Biofilter with a Mixture of Compost and Woodchips Medium. Water Air Soil Pollut 226, 2242 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2242-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2242-0

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