From Biofiltration to Promising Options in Gaseous Fluxes Biotreatment

Recent Developments, New Trends, Advances, and Opportunities

Gabriela Soreanu, Éric Dumont

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780128190647
• eBook ISBN: 9780128190654
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

From Biofiltration to Promising Options in Gaseous Fluxes Biotreatment: Recent Developments, New Trends, Advances, and Opportunities provides an overview on the biological tools used for the treatment of the gaseous fluxes, with emphasis on traditional and perspective options, opening new horizons for research and implementation in practice. It is known that air pollution is an emergent global issue and a priority within the international environmental programs. Moreover, technologies based on biological methods are significantly contributing to the sustainable development concept. Thus this book provides tools for solving air pollution issues in a sustainable manner. These issues can be solved at different levels (e.g., "end-of-pipe" gaseous streams, indoor/outdoor air, closed environments), which can be approached by the different biotechniques presented in the book, from classical biofiltration techniques (part 1) to phytotreatment and microalgae-based techniques (part 2). Although all options have their particularities that make them special for certain applications, a special attention is drawn to the potential of the last one, which offers multiple possibilities for biomass valorization. Scientists from worldwide with relevant experience in their field have been contributed to the development of this book.- Presents the main biotechnological aspects applied for gas purification, focusing on process understanding, limitations, and capability in different applications- Promotes a sustainable future of the biofiltration process by enhancing their performance together with the simultaneously economic and environmental impacts- Implements new aspects of scientific research and development in the field

Part 1

Biological treatment of gaseous streams: attached and suspended biomass units

Outline

• Part 1.1 Benchmark aspects on biological removal of contaminants from gaseous streams
• Part 1.2 Case studies/Illustrative design aspects

Part 1.1

Benchmark aspects on biological removal of contaminants from gaseous streams

Outline

• Chapter 1 Current challenges and perspectives in gas fluxes biotreatment
• Chapter 2 Biofilters versus bioscrubbers and biotrickling filters: state-of-the-art biological air treatment
• Chapter 3 Determination of biofilter performances
• Chapter 4 Porous media models for packed bed characterization
• Chapter 5 Life cycle assessment of biofiltration

Chapter 1

Current challenges and perspectives in gas fluxes biotreatment

Carmen Gabaldón¹, Pau San-Valero¹ and Guillermo Quijano², ¹Universitat de València, Research Group GI2AM, Department of Chemical Engineering, Av. de la Universitat s/n, Burjassot, Spain, ²Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Laboratory for Research on Advanced Processes for Water Treatment, Instituto de Ingeniería, Unidad Académica Juriquilla, Querétaro, México

Abstract

Nowadays, there is a wide variety of bioreactor configurations to treat specific pollutants from gas streams; however, biotechnologies share benchmark aspects that are herein described. In this chapter, the reader is introduced to the biological gas treatment field by means of a historical overview on how the initial devices used for gas treatment evolved to the innovative systems that are currently applied worldwide. The technical and operational fundamentals of biofilters, biotrickling filters, bioscrubbers, and emerging technologies such as two-phase partitioning bioreactors, multistage systems, and membranes are included. Perspectives and key research niches in the field are also presented and critically discussed.

Keywords

Air pollution control; biotechnologies for gas purification; innovative bioreactor configurations; volatile organic compounds

Nomenclature

C_G Pollutant concentration in gas phase (g m⁻³)

C_NAP Pollutant concentration in the NAP (g m⁻³)

DHLC Dimensionless Henry’s law constant (−)

EBRT Empty bed residence time (s)

EC Elimination capacity (g m⁻³ h⁻¹)

H Henry’s law constant (atm L⁻¹ mole⁻¹)

H_G/NAP Gas/NAP partition coefficient (−)

IL (or LR) Inlet load or loading rate (g m⁻³ h⁻¹)

NAP Non-aqueous phase

R Ideal gas constant (0.082 L atm mole⁻¹ K⁻¹)

T Temperature (K)

TPPB Two-phase partitioning bioreactor

VIC Volatile inorganic compound

VOC Volatile organic compound

V_R Volume of the reactor (m³)

Q_G Gas flow rate (m³ h⁻¹)

RE Removal efficiency (%)

1.1 Introduction

From the earliest application of biological processes for odor control in wastewater treatment facilities in the early 20th century, biotechnologies are nowadays a very attractive alternative to their physical–chemical competitors in the market of air pollution control for the removal of diluted emissions of volatile organic (VOC) and inorganic compounds (VIC). Compared with thermal/catalytic oxidation and adsorption, biological gas treatments are less energy intensive, being the operating cost-wise way to control odors, VOC, and VIC in industrial sectors. Beginning their expansion for odor control in the mid-1970s (Devinny et al., 1999), biotechnologies are currently considered as consolidated techniques in the odor market, in which they are also clearly competitive in capital costs (Shareefdeen and Singh, 2005).

New regulations of industrial air emissions in Europe and North America from early 2000s were the main driving force for the spread of biofilters to control a variety of oxygenated, aliphatic, and aromatic VOC in a sort of key industrial sectors, including paint production, printing operations, pharmaceutical industries, petrochemical activities, wood paint, among many others. The progressive consolidation of biotechnologies in industrial sectors was also promoted by the development of new bioreactor configurations such as biotrickling filters and bioscrubbers, which present low capital costs and footprint requirements for the removal of hydrophilic pollutants and high concentrations of H₂S (Lafita et al., 2012b; Martínez-Soria et al., 2009; Sempere et al., 2012). A current example of how environmental regulations have promoted the implementation of biotechnologies at industrial scale is the reinforcement of styrene emission limits in Europe, which led to a growing interest of the European composite sector in biotechnologies for gas pollution control.

In general terms, biotechnologies have low operational costs for controlling VOC emissions, demonstrating overwhelmingly their lower total annualized costs (operational plus capital costs) in comparison with technologies such as thermal/catalytic oxidation (Álvarez-...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• List of Contributors
• Foreword from the editors
• Acknowledgments from the editors
• Preface
• Prologue: Ethical challenges posed by using emerging technologies and genetically modified organisms to remove gaseous pollutants
• Part 1: Biological treatment of gaseous streams: attached and suspended biomass units
• Part 2: Biological treatment of gaseous streams: phytoremediation and microalgae approaches
• Author Index
• Subject Index