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Relationships between biomass, pressure drop, and performance in a polyurethane biofilter
Hee Wook Ryu1, Kyung-Suk Cho, Dong Jin Chung
1Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul 156-743, Republic of Korea.
Bioresource Technology
|November 10, 2009
Summary
Biofilter clogging from biomass overgrowth degrades performance. This study quantifies relationships between biomass, pressure drop, and benzene removal rates in polyurethane biofilters, aiding long-term operational optimization.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Biotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Biofilters are crucial for controlling volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- Biomass overgrowth in biofilters leads to clogging and reduced performance.
- Polyurethane (PU) biofilters are susceptible to biomass accumulation issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the relationships between biofilter performance, biomass concentration (X), and pressure drop (DeltaP).
- To quantitatively model these relationships for polyurethane biofilters treating benzene.
- To provide insights for optimizing PU biofilter operation and preventing clogging.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a polyurethane (PU) biofilter system with benzene as the model VOC.
- Quantified biomass concentration (X) in grams of dry cell weight per gram of PU (g-DCW g-PU(-1)).
- Measured pressure drop (DeltaP) and maximum removal rates (V(m)) under specific moisture conditions (80-90%).
Main Results:
- Established a quantitative relationship between pressure drop and biomass concentration: log DeltaP = 0.315 + 3.87 log X (for 0.8 < X < 2.5).
- Determined that maximum benzene removal rate declines with increasing biomass above 0.8 g-DCW g-PU(-1).
- Developed an equation for maximum removal rate: V(m) = 811 - 261 X (for 0.8 < X < 2.5).
Conclusions:
- The quantitative relationships derived are essential for assessing PU biofilter performance.
- These findings enable effective optimization strategies for long-term biofilter operation.
- Understanding biomass-performance dynamics is key to mitigating clogging and maintaining efficiency.
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