Biofiltration to Control VOC Emissions in Waste Gas

Abstract

This case study illustrates a biological treatment process to control volatile organic
compound (VOC) emissions. This process has been successfully used to control air
emissions from an exhaust air stream from a polymer production drying operation. A
small company located in Michigan voluntarily installed a biofilter for achieving their air
emission reduction commitments. This company was one of the first in their industry to
demonstrate that biofiltration technology has applications beyond traditional odor control
at wastewater treatment plants. Today, biofiltration is an acceptable control technology
in various industries such as chemical manufactures, perfumes and fragrances,
coatings, etc. Regulatory agencies have accepted the technology as a viable one for
meeting some regulatory standards.

Biofiltration is technique for controlling high airflow rates and low concentration
emissions of VOCs and odors. It involves venting biodegradable waste gas through a
solid substrate that serves as a matrix for attachment of microorganisms. Air pollutants
are sorbed onto the surface of the substrate and are metabolized by microorganisms,
converting them primarily to water and carbon dioxide.

The biofilter has successfully removed VOCs from effluents, including ethanol,
butyraldehyde, ethyl acetate, and other organics. Removal efficiencies are normally
95% or greater. In addition to effectively removing VOCs, the technique has an
advantage over more traditional methods, such as incineration, in that no NOx, CO, or
SOx is produced as a byproduct of the removal process. Furthermore, biofiltration
control requires low operating cost and is low maintenance versus other traditional
control technologies.

Process Description

The biofiltration system in this study is comprised of a humidifier, a sinter block gas
distribution system and a biofilter bed, shown in Figure1.
Effluent

Pressure
Gauge

P Media with Biomass

Process
Blower

Waste Gas Humidification and

Temperature Control Water Overflow
to Plant Sewer

Figure1: Open bed biofilter.

To treat exhaust gas off of a dryer, particulates are first removed with a cyclone and bag
house dust collector that feeds the VOC containing air to a humidifying chamber, where
process gases are cooled and humidified. To optimize microbial activity, moist warm
biofilter media must be maintained. This is accomplished by attempting to control
exhaust gas temperature to 30 3 C and humidifying to >98% relative humidity. After
humidification, the waste gas is fed to an air plenum and then to an air distribution
system. The air distribution system is a BIKOVENT, acid resistant, interlocking cement
block system, which feeds at the base of the biofilter allowing waste gas to flow upward
through the biofilter media and purified air to be vented to the atmosphere.

The biofilter bed (for the specific application described below) covers an area of
5425 ft2 that is divided into three above ground cells, where the top of the system is
open to the atmosphere. Each cell is initially filled to a depth of 5.0 ft with biofilter
media. The total VOC concentration of gases entering the biofilter is between 100 - 400
ppm. Total gas flow to the biofilter is 15,000 scfm, with a residence time of
approximately 100 seconds in the biofilter.

Initial Performance: The initial biofilter media consisted of biosolids compost from an
aerated static pile system, and red pine bark nuggets in a ratio of 1:1 by volume. After
two years of operation, some compacting occurs and biosolids compost and bark
nuggets are added to the top of the bed [1].

Total VOC removal efficiency for the system was measured at 95% with in the first
seventeen days of operation and then slowly decreased to approximately 90% over the
first two years. A GC analysis of the outlet gases showed that over 98% of the ethanol
and butyraldehyde were consistently removed from the waste gases. The biofilter has
better removal efficiencies for lower molecular weight hydrocarbons. After 5 years, total
VOC removal efficiencies were 87.6% and the biofilter media was then replaced [1].

Key Parameters: Based on the case study, it is recommended that temperature,

overall media moisture content and pH, as well as oxygen uptake rates (a measure of
microbial activity) be monitored for the subsequent maintenance of the biofilter.

Airflow problems can be determi ned by monitoring the pressure drop across the
biofilter bed. For this case study, pressure drop is not directly measured. However, fan
amperage draw, which is a good surrogate for pressure drop, is monitored. New
compost has relatively low pressure drop. Over time there is some settling, compaction,
and particle size reduction. Thus higher-pressure drop is observed over the compost
bed life, which is about five years. Maintenance to the bed consisting of loosening up
and reshifting the filter media as well as compost addition has had favorable results in
prolonging the bed life.

Pilot Study: It is advisable to do a pilot study for every biofilter application. The study
determines the best type of compost to be used for a given application. For this case
study, it was determined that both wastewater and yard type compost were appropriate
for biodegrading the organics in the dryer exhaust stream.

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Biofilter Media: Media used in biofilters include compost originating from refuse, bark,
peat, heather, etc., as well as mixtures thereof. Generally, the media should be capable
of providing nutrients to the microorganisms as well as minimize the pressure drop
across the filter bed (organic media will lose volume through decomposition and by
settling). In addition to humidifying the airflow, sprinkler systems are frequently installed
inside the biofilter to control and maintain suitable bed moisture [1, 2].

Chemicals: Biofiltration has been used successfully to treat a number of air borne
contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols,
aldehydes, organic acids, acrylates, carbolic acids, amines and ammonia.

An analysis of chemical constituents is required to determine if biofiltration is a

plausible alternative. The net conversion of pollutants is determined by the residence
time of gas in the filter, concentration of pollutants in the untreated gas, and reaction
rate [2]. Also, substances intolerable for microorganisms should be removed from the
untreated gas stream.

Case Study
This case study is proved by Solutia Inc., Trenton, Michigan.

Commercial Applications
Below is a list of a few proven applications of biofiltration for waste gas purification [2]:
q Chemical and petrochemical industry (VOC removal)
q Synthetic resins (VOC removal)
q Plastics processing (VOC removal)
q Waste and wastewater treatment (VOC removal)
q Sewage treatment (odor abatement)
q Trash processing (odor abatement)
q Tobacco, cocoa and sugar industry (odor abatement)
q Flavor and fragrance (odor abatement)

Cost
Cost estimates range from $5 to $10 per kilogram of contaminant ($2.27 to $4.54 per
pound). Note: estimates were obtained from the Federal Remediation Technology
Roundtables Remediation Technologies Screening Matrix and Reference Guide,
Version 4.0 (http://www.frtr.gov/matrix2/section4/4-55.html).

Benefits
q The main advantage of biofiltration over more conventional VOC control methods is
lower operating costs, low maintenance, and no combustion source.
q Biofiltration units can be designed to physically fit into most industrial settings.

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q Biofiltration can be used to treat odors, VOCs, and toxic compounds with high
removal efficiencies (>90%).
q Traditionally, biofiltration systems require low air loading rates (100 ppm). However,
designs that support higher air loadings are currently available.
q Simple design. Biofiltration may consist of concrete walls to support the compost
filter media, an air distribution system constructed from perforated inert plastic
piping, and a humidification chamber for controlling the media moisture content.
q Biofilter media life is about five years. There are several beneficial uses for spent
compost media: landfill cap material, farm application, fill material, etc.

Disadvantages
q Low temperatures may slow or stop degradation.
q Sources with emissions that fluctuate severely can be detrimental to the biofilters
microbial population, affecting the overall efficiency.
q Acclimation of the microbial population may take a few weeks to a few months.
Therefore, the system will not operate at peak efficiencies during this time period.
q Requires large areas. Some vendors offer biofilters that are stacked therefore
minimizing the area requirements.
q Additions of nutrients. Nitrogen and phosphorus addition may be warranted as
nutrients for the microorganisms.
q In some cases it is required to regulate pH of the filter media by the addition of
agents such as calcium carbonate, dolomite or sulfur.

Vendors
Below is a list of a few vendors that can provide standard or custom-built biofiltration
systems:
Bio Reaction Industries http://www.bioreaction.com
SRE Industries http://www.srebiotech.com
TRG Biofilter http://www.trgbiofilter.com

Literature Cited
1. Cardenas-Gonzalez, B., S.J. Ergas, M.S. Switzenbaum, and N. Phillibert,
Evaluation of a Full-Scale Biofilter Media Performance, Environmental Progress,
18, no.3, pp. 205-211 (1999).
2. Biological Waste Gas/Waste Air Purification Biofilters, VDI Guideline: VDI 3477,
pp. 1-26 (1991).

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