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Bioremediation of Volatile Organic Compounds in Biofilters

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Bioremediation: Applications for Environmental Protection and Management

Part of the book series: Energy, Environment, and Sustainability ((ENENSU))

Abstract

In India, 12 lakhs deaths per annum take place due to air pollution according to a report by Greenpeace organization. Volatile organic compounds are major air pollutants which are released into the environment through mobile sources, stationary sources, area sources, and natural sources. Stationary sources such as petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries release VOCs like toluene which is known to cause several health hazards including lung cancer. In addition to it, VOCs pollute air, soil, and water which are a growing environmental concern. Based on the concentration level of the VOCs, several removal techniques have been employed to combat VOCs. Non-biological methods such as ozonation, absorption, adsorption, incineration, catalytic oxidation, condensation, membrane separation are being employed. Several biological methods ranging from biotrickling filters to biofilters have been demonstrated, and they are found to be economical. The biofilters are simple to construct, easy to operate, and cost effective. Major advantage of this method is the pollutant is converted into biodegradable waste which can decompose within a moderate time frame, thus producing no secondary pollutants. In this chapter, biofilters, microorganisms, biofilter preparation and reaction mechanism are discussed. More emphasis was given on operation, processes, conditions, and stability of biofilters. The recent advancements in biofilters including application of foam for enhanced separation and the limitations of the biofiltration methods are also discussed. Future scope and summary of the chapter are given at the end of the chapter to provide an insight into biofilters research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering Studies, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, P.O. Bidholi, Via-Prem Nagar, Dehradun, 248007, India

    Margavelu Gopinath, Rose Havilah Pulla, K. S. Rajmohan & Parthasarthy Vijay

  2. Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 013, India

    Chandrasekaran Muthukumaran

  3. Department of Biotechnology, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai, 600119, Tamil Nadu, India

    Baskar Gurunathan

Authors
  1. Margavelu Gopinath
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  2. Rose Havilah Pulla
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  3. K. S. Rajmohan
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  4. Parthasarthy Vijay
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  5. Chandrasekaran Muthukumaran
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  6. Baskar Gurunathan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margavelu Gopinath .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

    Sunita J. Varjani

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Avinash Kumar Agarwal

  3. Bioenergy and Energy Planning Research Group (BPE), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

    Edgard Gnansounou

  4. Department of Biotechnology, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Baskar Gurunathan

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Gopinath, M., Pulla, R.H., Rajmohan, K.S., Vijay, P., Muthukumaran, C., Gurunathan, B. (2018). Bioremediation of Volatile Organic Compounds in Biofilters. In: Varjani, S., Agarwal, A., Gnansounou, E., Gurunathan, B. (eds) Bioremediation: Applications for Environmental Protection and Management. Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7485-1_15

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