Biodegradation of mixture of VOC's in a biofilter

Volatile organic compounds(VOC' s) in air have become major concern in recent years. Biodegradation of a mixture of ethanol and methanol vapor was evaluated in a laboratory biofilter with a bed of compost and polystyrene particles using an acclimated mixed culture. The continuous performance of the biofilter was studied with different proportion of ethanol and methanol at different initial concentration and flow rates. The result showed significant removal for both ethanol and methanol, which were composition dependent. The presence of either compound in the mixture inhibited the biodegradation of the other.