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Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Automated, High-resolution Mobile Collection System for the Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis of NOx
Published on: December 20, 2016
A review: Biological technologies for nitrogen monoxide abatement
David Cubides1, Xavier Guimerà2, Irene Jubany3
1Department of Mining, Industrial and ICT Engineering (EMIT), Biological Treatment of Gaseous Pollutants and Odours Group (BIOGAP), Manresa School of Engineering (EPSEM), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Av. Bases de Manresa 61-73, 08242 Manresa, Spain; Eurecat, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Sustainability Area, Plaça de la Ciència, 2, Manresa 08242, Spain.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from industrial activities poses health and environmental risks. Biotechnologies offer a cost-effective alternative for NOx abatement in flue gases, utilizing microorganisms for treatment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Microbiology
Background:
- Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are major atmospheric pollutants impacting human health and the environment.
- Anthropogenic sources, primarily combustion processes, are the main contributors to NOx emissions.
- Current industrial NOx abatement methods like selective catalytic reduction are costly and generate residues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize the current state of biotechnologies for NOx treatment in flue gases.
- To compare the efficacy of different microorganisms and bioreactor configurations for NOx abatement.
- To provide an overview of proven technical solutions and challenges in biological NOx control.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on biotechnological NOx abatement systems.
- Analysis of chemical absorption and biological reduction (CABR) systems.
- Comparison of bioreactor performance (biofilters, rotating reactors, membrane reactors) at laboratory and industrial scales.
Main Results:
- Biotechnologies, particularly CABR systems, show promise for cost-effective NOx treatment.
- Various microorganisms and bioreactor designs have been investigated for NOx removal efficiency.
- Experimental data from laboratory and industrial settings are analyzed to assess performance.
Conclusions:
- Biotechnologies present a viable and potentially more sustainable alternative for industrial NOx abatement.
- Further research and development are needed to optimize bioreactor designs and microbial consortia for enhanced NOx removal.
- Addressing challenges in biological NOx treatment is crucial for widespread industrial adoption.
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