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Experiments and modelling of a biotrickling filter (BTF) for removal of styrene from airstreams
Author(s) -
Gąszczak Agnieszka,
Bartelmus Grażyna,
Burghardt Andrzej,
Rotkegel Adam,
Sarzyński Rafał
Publication year - 2018
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.5620
Subject(s) - styrene , process engineering , filter (signal processing) , process (computing) , biological system , scale (ratio) , biofilter , computer science , materials science , environmental science , chromatography , pulp and paper industry , chemistry , engineering , environmental engineering , composite material , biology , physics , quantum mechanics , copolymer , computer vision , operating system , polymer
BACKGROUND Studies on the removal of styrene from airstreams carried out in pilot‐scale biotrickling filters (BTF) are still scarce thus making its industrial application difficult. Moreover, it seems necessary to develop a comprehensive description of the phenomena occurring in the bioreactor that could be used as a tool for BTF design and performance prediction. RESULTS The removal of styrene from airstreams in a pilot‐scale biotrickling filter (BTF) inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. E‐93486 bacteria was investigated (operational parameters: V g * = 100–150 m 3 h −1 , V L * = 8 m 3 h −1 , C s 0 = 0.2–1 g −3 , EBRTs = 41–62 s, T = 303 K). The experiments performed during a period of more than 120 days confirmed high effectiveness of the examined process; RE = 78–94.2% was obtained for all the sets of operational parameters. The experimental database was exploited to validate the three mathematical models of the process. All the tested models approximate very well the experimental data; the mean percentage error of the RE value prediction did not exceed 3%. CONCLUSION The formulated approximate simple one‐substrate model (SOSM) described the investigated process with excellent accuracy ( e Y = 2.72%) and was numerically relatively simple. Therefore, this model was recommended as a useful tool for modelling the biodegradation processes of moderately hydrophobic compounds carried out in a BTF. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry