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Hydrogen Sulfide Effects on Ammonia Removal by a Biofilter Seeded with Earthworm Casts
Author(s) -
Lee E. Y.,
Cho K. S.,
Han H. D.,
Ryu H.W.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2002.1782
Subject(s) - biofilter , hydrogen sulfide , chemistry , ammonia , nitrification , lumbricus terrestris , inlet , ammonium , environmental chemistry , sulfur , nuclear chemistry , chromatography , nitrogen , environmental engineering , earthworm , organic chemistry , ecology , mechanical engineering , engineering , biology
Ammonia (NH 3 ) removal efficiencies were evaluated when hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and NH 3 in binary mixture gases were supplied to a ceramic biofilter seeded with earthworm ( Lumbricus terrestris ) casts. The effect of inlet H 2 S concentration and space velocity (SV) on the removal of NH 3 was investigated after the acclimation of the biofilter with NH 3 gas. When NH 3 was singly supplied to the biofilter, NH 3 removal was maintained at almost 100% until inlet NH 3 concentration was increased up to 600 μL L −1 and SV up to 330 h −1 , at which the elimination capacity of NH 3 was 148 g N m −3 h −1 When H 2 S was supplied simultaneously, however, the accumulation of toxic sulfide ions showed dual effects on NH 3 removal efficiencies. First, no effects were observed at inlet H 2 S loading below 60 g S m −3 h −1 ; however, inhibition by H 2 S at higher loading was observed above 60 g S m −3 h −1 The point at which loading achieved a maximum of more than 99% NH 3 removal efficiency was 139 g N m −3 h −1 , when inlet H 2 S concentration was held under 100 μL L −1 , but it dropped to 76 and 30 g N m −3 h −1 when the inlet H 2 S concentration increased to 220 and 460 μL L −1 , respectively. The critical points of inlet H 2 S loading that guaranteed over 99% NH 3 removal were determined as 100, 100, 60, and 40 g S m −3 h −1 at inlet NH 3 concentrations of 100, 200, 400, and 600 μL L −1 , respectively. Inlet NH 3 loading had synergic effects of increasing the inhibition of inlet H 2 S loading on the NH 3 removability of the biofilter.