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Treatment of Mixed Hydrogen Sulfide and Organic Vapors in a Rock Medium Biofilter
Author(s) -
Chitwood Derek E.,
Devinny Joseph S.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143001x139470
Subject(s) - hydrogen sulfide , biofilter , dissolution , sulfide , lava , volume (thermodynamics) , chemistry , environmental chemistry , environmental science , sulfur , environmental engineering , geology , geochemistry , organic chemistry , physics , volcano , quantum mechanics
A pilot‐scale biofilter was operated at a publicly owned treatment works to remove hydrogen sulfide and a mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from waste gas streams. Lava rock was used for the medium, which averaged pH 4 during the study. The study itself was conducted in three phases. The bed volume was 9.8, 6.5, and 3.3 m 3 in phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively, while the flowrate was approximately 17 m 3 /min throughout the study. The removal efficiency of hydrogen sulfide was consistently greater than 90% for all three phases and, despite low‐pH conditions, weighted average VOC removal was greater than 70%. The lava rock provided a hospitable environment for microorganisms while causing low head loss (25 Pa at a load rate of 3.8 m/min). However, lava rock is susceptible to dissolution at low‐pH conditions (the degree of dissolution depends on the source of the material).