Evaluation of Trickle Bed Air Biofilter Performance as a Function of Inlet VOC Concentration and Loading,and Biomass Control

ABSTRACT

The 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act have stimulated strong interest in the use of biofiltration for the economical, engineered control of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in effluent air streams. Trickle bed air biofilters (TBABs) are especially applicable for treating VOCs at high loadings. For long-term, stable operation of highly loaded TBABs, removal of excess accumulated bio-mass is essential. Our previous research demonstrated that suitable biomass control for TBABs was achievable by periodic backwashing of the biofilter medium. Backwashing was performed by fluidizing the pelletized biological attachment medium with warm water to about a 40% bed expansion. This paper presents an evaluation of the impact of backwashing on the performance of four such TBABs highly loaded with toluene. The inlet VOC concentrations studied were 250 and 500 ppmv toluene, and the loadings were 4.1 and 6.2 kg COD/m³ day (55 and 83 g toluene/m³ hr). Loading is defined as kg of chemical oxygen demand per cubic meter of medium per day. Performance deterioration at the higher loading was apparently due to a reduction of the specific surface of the attached biofilm resulting from the accumulation of excess biomass. For a toluene loading of 4.1 kg COD/m³ day, it was demonstrated that the long-term performance of biofilters with either inlet concentration could be maintained at over 99.9% VOC removal by employing a backwashing strategy consisting of a frequency of every other day and a duration of 1 hr.     

Characterization of Activated Carbon Fiber Filters for Pressure Drop,Submicrometer Particulate Collection,and Mercury Capture

ABSTRACT

The use of activated carbon fiber (ACF) filters for the capture of particulate matter and elemental Hg is demonstrated. The pressure drop and particle collection efficiency characteristics of the ACF filters were established at two different face velocities and for two different aerosols: spherical NaCl and combustion-generated silica particles. The clean ACF filter specific resistance was 153 kg m^-2 sec^-1. The experimental specific resistance for cake filtration was 1.6 × 10⁶ sec^-1 and 2.4 × 10⁵ sec^-1 for 0.5- and 1.5-μm mass median diameter particles, respectively. The resistance factor R was approximately 2, similar to that for the high-efficiency particulate air filters. There was a discrepancy in the measured particle collection efficiencies and those predicted by theory. The use of the ACF filter for elemental Hg capture was illustrated, and the breakthrough characteristic was established. The capacity of the ACF filter for Hg capture was similar to other powdered activated carbons.     

Growth and yield response of marigold to potting media containing vermicompost produced from different wastes

Investigations were made to assay the influence of vermicomposts, prepared from (i) cow dung (CD) and (ii) sugar mill wastewater treatment plant sludge spiked with horse dung, on the growth and productivity of marigold plants in pot culture experiments. The soil was used as potting media, and vermicomposts were amended with it in 10, 20, 30 and 40% ratio. A total of nine different potting media were prepared. The fertility status of soil and vermicomposts was quantified. There were significant differences in the fertilizer quality of soil and both the vermicomposts. Maximum numbers of flowers was produced in the potting media containing 30% of CD vermicompost and minimum was reported in control (soil without amendments). The diameter of biggest flower was reported in the potting media containing 40% of sugar mill wastewater treatment plant sludge vermicompost. Results showed that the addition of vermicompost, in appropriate quantities, to potting media has synergistic effects on growth and flowering of plants including number of buds, number of flowers, plant shoot biomass, root biomass, plant height and diameter of flowers.     

Phosphorus recovery from secondary effluent and side-stream liquid in a sewage treatment plant using zirconium-loaded saponified orange waste

Zirconium was loaded onto orange waste, a cheap and available agricultural waste in Japan, to investigate the feasibility of its utilization for phosphorus recovery from secondary effluent and side-stream liquid, which contain 5.9 and 68.2 mg/dm³ phosphorus, respectively. The phosphorus removal from side-stream liquid by using zirconium-loaded saponified orange waste (Zr-SOW) gel increased with an increasing solid/liquid ratio, and it was found that Zr-SOW gel showed better performance than zirconium ferrite. The prepared adsorbent was effective for phosphorus removal and exhibited a reasonably high adsorption capacity, twice than that of zirconium ferrite. The secondary effluent was treated in a column packed with Zr-SOW gel, and an dynamic adsorption capacity of 1.3 mol-P/kg was attained. The adsorbed phosphorus from the column was successfully eluted as a concentrated form by using a small amount of 0.2 M NaOH. Throughout the elution process, zirconium was not leaked from the adsorption gel.     

Evaluation of a sequential extraction process used for determining mercury binding mechanisms to coal combustion byproducts

Leaching of mercury from coal combustion byproducts is a concern because of the toxicity of mercury. Leachability of mercury can be assessed by using sequential extraction procedures. Sequential extraction procedures are commonly used to determine the speciation and mobility of trace metals in solid samples and are designed to differentiate among metals bound by different mechanisms and to different solid phases. This study evaluated the selectivity and effectiveness of a sequential extraction process used to determine mercury binding mechanisms to various materials. A six-step sequential extraction process was applied to laboratory-synthesized materials with known mercury concentrations and binding mechanisms. These materials were calcite, hematite, goethite, and titanium dioxide. Fly ash from a full-scale power plant was also investigated. The concentrations of mercury were measured using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry, whereas the major elements were measured by ICP atomic emission spectrometry. The materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The sequential extraction procedure provided information about the solid phases with which mercury was associated in the solid sample. The procedure effectively extracted mercury from the target phases. The procedure was generally selective in extracting mercury. However, some steps in the procedure extracted mercury from nontarget phases, and others resulted in mercury redistribution. Iron from hematite and goethite was only leached in the reducible and residual extraction steps. Some mercury associated with goethite was extracted in the ion exchangeable step, whereas mercury associated with hematite was extracted almost entirely in the residual step. Calcium in calcite and mercury associated with calcite were primarily removed in the acid-soluble extraction step. Titanium in titanium dioxide and mercury adsorbed onto titanium dioxide were extracted almost entirely in the residual step.     

Fly ash scrubbing in a novel dual flow scrubber

Scrubbers are used as particulate emission control devices with the increase in stringency of old regulations or promulgation of new regulations. Scrubbing of fly ash in a novel dual flow scrubber, i.e., one water filled bubble section and one section with water-spray, is reported in this article. The presented system included a tapered section in order to achieve the bubble regime. On the other hand, a two-phase critical flow atomizer was used for the generation of spray regime with high degree of spray uniformity. Experiments were carried out for studying the behavior of the system in terms of various pertinent variables. The fly ash removal mechanism was explained in terms of various physical interactions. Electrostatic effect was found to have an insignificant influence on the collection efficiency of fly ash. The removal efficiency was found to decrease with the increase in inlet fly ash loading in the bubble section while it was increased in the spray section. A compromise must, therefore, be struck while operating the scrubber for achieving the desired performance. The effects of other operating variables studied on the removal efficiency remained similar in the regimes under investigation. The combined effect was, however, that the spray regime was dominating. Experimentation also revealed that the bubble section collected particles down to 20 microm size. Detailed experimentation revealed that almost 100% removal efficiency (zero penetration) of fly ash could be achieved in the dual flow scrubber at a QL/QG ratio of 3.0 m3/1000 ACM (actual cubic meter). Almost zero penetration of fly ash particles, clearly demonstrated that the dual flow scrubber with its staging operations met with the stricter emission regulations for particulate matter. Selection of any particulate control device is intrinsically related to the performance as a function of various pertinent variables of the system. Correlations were, therefore, put forward for the prediction of the performances of the bubble and the spray sections in terms of various pertinent variables of the system. The overall removal efficiency achievable in the dual flow scrubber was predicted with the help of these correlations. The predicted values were in excellent agreement with the experimental values (well within +/-5.0% deviation). Comparison of the performance of the present system with the existing systems indicated that the bubble and spray sections either alone or in combination (as in a dual flow scrubber), was energy and efficiency-wise much better than the existing systems. The novelty of the system is also described.     

Carbon nanotube-based nano-biosensors for detecting heavy metals in the aquatic environment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The identification of harmful metal ions in aquatic environments is a global concern since these contaminants can have serious consequences for...     

Assessing the potential ecological risk of Co,Cr, Cu,Fe and Zn in the sediments of Hooghly–Matla estuarine system,India

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Hooghly–Matla estuarine system along with the Sundarbans mangroves forms one of the most diverse and vulnerable ecosystems in the world. We have...     

Distribution of detoxifying genes polymorphism in Maharastrian population of central India

The present study is aimed at evaluating the genotype frequency of detoxifying genes such as GSTM1, GSTT1 and NQO1 in Maharastrian population of central India. The study revealed about 64.6% of GSTM1-positive and 35.4% GSTM1-null population. GSTT1-positive genotype was found to be 87.5% and GSTT1-null showed 12.5%. The NQO1 genotype of Maharastrian population showed 52.3% of C/C, 42.48% C/T and 5.18% T/T. The NQO1 of this population does not deviate from the expected Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The genotype frequencies GSTM1 and GSTT1 of the population when compared with other ethnic groups of Asia and Caucasians show distinct nature of Maharastrian population from other Asian and Caucasian population.