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Simultaneous treatment of methane and swine slurry by biofiltration
Author(s) -
Girard Matthieu,
Viens Pascal,
Ramirez Antonio Avalos,
Brzezinski Ryszard,
Buelna Gerardo,
Heitz Michèle
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.3692
Subject(s) - biofilter , slurry , biodegradation , methane , ammonium , pulp and paper industry , chemistry , pollution , environmental science , environmental engineering , environmental chemistry , waste management , zoology , biology , ecology , organic chemistry , engineering
BACKGROUND: The piggery industry is important both worldwide and in Canada, but localized production of large quantities of swine slurry causes severe environmental problems such as aquatic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The main objective of this study was to determine whether it is possible to simultaneously treat methane (CH 4 ) and swine slurry using an inorganic biofilter. RESULTS: A novel biofilter was designed to overcome the inhibition of CH 4 biodegradation by swine slurry. The CH 4 elimination capacity increased with the inlet load and a maximum value of 18.8 ± 1.0 g m −3 h −1 was obtained at an inlet load of 46.7 ± 0.9 g m −3 h −1 and a CH 4 concentration of 3.3 g m −3 . Four pure strains of fungi were used in an attempt to improve the removal of CH 4 , but no significant effect was observed. Between 0.35 and 3.4 g m −3 , the CH 4 concentration had no effect on swine slurry treatment with removal efficiencies of 67 ± 10% for organic carbon and 70 ± 7% for ammonium. The influence of the slurry supply was analyzed and the best results were obtained with a supply method of six doses of 50 mL per day. CONCLUSION: Even though the results were lower than those obtained for the biofiltration of CH 4 alone, this study demonstrated the feasibility of treating CH 4 and swine slurry with the same biofilter using a novel design. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry