Biofiltration of high formaldehyde loads with ozone additions in long-term operation

Formaldehyde (FA) biofiltration was evaluated over 310 days with and without ozone addition. Without ozone, the biofilter was able to treat formaldehyde at inlet loads (ILs) lower than 40 g m(-3) h(-1), maintaining, under this condition, an average removal efficiency (RE) of 88 % for a few days before collapsing to zero. The continuous addition of ozone (90 ppbv) helped to recover the RE from zero to 98 ± 2 % and made it possible to operate at an IL of 40 g m(-3) h(-1) for long periods of operation (107 days). Furthermore, the ozone addition aided in operating the biofilter at a formaldehyde IL of up to 120 g m(-3) h(-1) values that have never before been reached. GC-mass spectrometry (MS) analysis showed that dimethoxymethane was the common compound in leachate during the performance decay. Also, the addition of ozone aided in maintaining an optimal pH in the biofilter with values between 7.5 and 8.2, due to the carbonate species formed during the ozone reactions with formaldehyde and its by-products. Thus, the pH control was confirmed and the alkalinity of the biofilter increased from 334.1 ± 100.3 to 1450 ± 127 mg CaCO3 L(-1) when ozone was added. Ozone addition diminished the exopolymeric substances (EPS) content of biofilm and biofilm thickness without affecting cell viability. Kinetic parameters suggested that the best conditions for carrying out FA biofiltration were reached under ozone addition. The addition of ozone during formaldehyde biofiltration could be a good strategy to maintain the pH and the steady state of the system under high ILs and for long periods of operation.