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Determination of local elimination capacities and moisturecontents in different biofilters treating toluene and xylene

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Abstract

The removal of toluene and xylene from an artificial waste gaswas investigated in two laboratory scale biofilters filled withmixtures of peat, bark and wood. The packed beds differed in themixture of materials used, so that peat and then bark was thedominant constituent. The biofilters were operated in an upflowmode. Both biofilters showed relatively high removal efficienciesfor both pollutants (74–98%). The evaluation of the localelimination capacities in the peat-loaded biofilter revealed thatthe major part of pollutants was degraded in the middle layer.In this biofilter, larger differences in theremoval rates along the bed height were also observed. In thebiofilter with bark as dominant material, the major part ofpollutants was degraded at the inlet of the bed and also at arelative height of 0.7. Moisture contents of 71–80% and 65–78%were found for the biofilter with peat and bark respectively. Whenthe regular pouring of nutrient solution through the bed wasinterrupted for 1 month, a decrease in efficiency was observed inthe biofilter with bark, whilst the efficiency in the biofilter withpeat remained the same.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fermentaiion Chemistry and Bioengineering, Czech Republic

    Jiri Marek & Jan Paca

  2. Department of Gas, Coke and Air Protection, University of ChemicalTechnology, Technická 5, 166 28, Prague, Czech Republic

    Bohumil Koutsky

  3. School of Science and Technology, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, TSI 3 BA, UK

    Andrew Mark Gerrard

Authors
  1. Jiri Marek
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  2. Jan Paca
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  3. Bohumil Koutsky
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  4. Andrew Mark Gerrard
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Marek, J., Paca, J., Koutsky, B. et al. Determination of local elimination capacities and moisturecontents in different biofilters treating toluene and xylene. Biodegradation 10, 307–313 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008388123450

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