• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.516-519
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• 2000

Lab-scale biofilter was studied for the simultaneous removal of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in gas mixtures. Compost and polyurethane foam were used as packing materials (50 : 50) and activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant was innoculated initially. When tested under varying inlet concentrations and empty bed residence time(EBRT), up to 80 ppmv of ammonia and 40 ppmv of hydrogen sulfide could be removed completely at an EBRT of 30 sec. The pH was found to be the key factor governing the biofilter performance.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.93-94
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• 2001

Biofilter operating parameters such as incoming VOCs concentrations, temperature, and packing materials were studied. The performance of a lab-scale biofilter in the treatment of air contaminated with mixtures vac has been evaluated in this study. The biofilter was operated for 80 days packed with compost. Empty bed residence time (EBRT) was 3 to 1.5 min. After 80 days of operation, the removal efficiency was 94% and 73% at $25^{\circ}C$ and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively. Removal efficiencies of m-xylene (93%), o-xylene (92%) and toluene (92%) were better than that of benzene (84.7%).

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.7-17
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• 2008

Simultaneous removal of $NH_3,\;H_2S$ and toluene in a contaminated air stream was investigated over 185 days in a biofilter packed with Zeocarbon granule as microbial support. In this study, multi-microorganisms including Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter for nitrogen removal, Thiobacillus thioparus (ATCC 23645) for $H_2S$ removal, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15692), Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 17484) and Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 23973) for toluene removal were used simultaneously. The empty bed residence time (EBRT) was 40-120 seconds and the feed (inlet) concentrations of $NH_3,\;H_2S$ and toluene were 0.02-0.11, 0.05-0.23 and 0.15-0.21 ppmv, respectively. The observed removal efficiency was 85%-99% for $NH_3$, 100% for $H_2S$, and 20-90% for toluene, respectively. The maximum elimination capacities were 9.3, 20.6 and $17g/m^3/hr\;for\;NH_3,\;H_2S$ and toluene, respectively. The results of kinetic model analysis showed that there were no particular evidences of interactions or inhibitions among the microorganisms, and that the three bio degradation reactions took place independently within a finite area of biofilm developed on the surface of the Zeocarbon carrier.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2009

Biofilters use porous solid media to support microorganisms and allow access to the contaminants in the airflow. The characteristics of media used in biofilters vary greatly, and therefore it is important to select the appropriate media in order to obtain a large enough surface attachment area and uniform pore. This study was performed to compare hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) removal efficiencies of three biofilter media; coconut fiber, ceramic, and polyurethane. The biofilter packed with coconut fiber showed stable removal activity when inlet loading was changeable, and was restored rapidly when the moisture content decreased. However, the coconut fiber suffered from low durability. To cope with this problem a media of fibrinous polypropylene was developed to strengthen the durability of the coconut fiber. Biofilter column experiments using the fibrinous polypropylene media demonstrated over 99% of removal efficiencies at pH as low as 3 and 6 seconds of EBRT (empty bed gas residence time). Due to its superior physical characteristics, it is expected that the $H_2S$ treatment performance will increase when the new fibrinous polypropylne media is applied in commercial biofilter systems.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.513-525
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• 2006

In recent decades, biofiltration has been widely accepted for the treatment of contaminated air stream containing low concentration of odorous compounds or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, conventional biofilters packed with flexible synthetic polyurethane (PU) foam carriers were operated to remove toluene from a contaminated air stream. PU foams containing various amounts of pulverized activated carbon (PAC) were synthesized for the biofilter media and tested for toluene removal. Four biofilter columns were operated for 60 days to remove gaseous toluene from a contaminated air stream. During the biofiltration experiment, inlet toluene concentration was in the range of 0-150 ppm and EBRT (i.e., empty bed residence time) was kept at 26-42 seconds. Pressure drop of the biofilter bed was less than 3 mm $H_2O/m$ filter bed. The maximum removal capacity of toluene in the biofilters packed with PU-PAC foam was in the order of column II (PAC=7.08%) > column III (PAC=8.97%) > column I (PAC=4.95%) > column IV (PAC=13.52%), while the complete removal capacity was in the order of column II > column I > column III > column IV. The better biofiltration performance in column II was attributed to higher porosity providing favorable conditions for microbial growth. The results of biodegradation kinetic analysis showed that PU-PAC foam with 7.08% of PAC content had higher maximum removal rate ($V_m$=14.99 g toluene/kg dry material/day) than the other PU-PAC foams. In overall, the performance of biofiltration might be affected by the structure and physicochemical properties of PU foam induced by PAC content.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2008

Simultaneous removal of ternary gases of $NH_3$, $H_2S$ and toluene in a contaminated air stream was investigated over 180 days in a biofilter. A commercially available inorganic/polymeric composite chip with a large void volume (bed porosity > 0.80) was used as a microbial support. Multiple microorganisms including Nitrosomonas and Nitrobactor for nitrogen removal, Thiobacillus thioparus (ATCC 23645) for $H_2S$ removal and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15692), Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 17484) and Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 23973) for toluene removal were used simultaneously. The empty bed residence time (EBRT) ranged from 60 - 120 seconds and the inlet feed concentration was $0.0325\;g/m^3-0.0651\;g/m^3$ for $NH_3$, $0.0636\;g/m^3-0.141\;g/m^3$ for $H_2S$, and $0.0918\;g/m^3-0.383\;g/m^3$ for toluene, respectively. The observed removal efficiency was 2% - 98% for $NH_3$, 2% - 100% for $H^2S$, and 2% - 80% for toluene, respectively. Maximum elimination capacity was about $2.7\;g/m^3$/hr for $NH_3$, > $6.4\;g/m^3$/hr for $H_2S$ and $4.0\;g/m^3$/hr for toluene, respectively. The inorganic/polymeric composite carrier required 40 - 80 days of wetting time for biofilm formation due to the hydrophobic nature of the carrier. Once the surface of the carrier was completely wetted, the microbial activity became stable. During the long-term operation, pressure drop was negligible because the void volume of the carrier was two times higher than the conventional packing materials.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2006

In this study, conventional biofilters packed with flexible synthetic polyurethane (PU) foam carriers were operated to remove toluene from a contaminated air stream. PU foams containing various adsorbents (e.g., zeolite, sepiolite, dolomite and barite) were synthesized for the biofilter media and their adsorption characteristics of toluene were determined. Adsorption capacity of PU-adsorbent foam was in the order of PU-dolomite ${\approx}$ PU-zeolite > PU-sepiolite > PU-barite. During the biofiltration experiment, influent toluene concentration was in the range of 0-160 ppm and EBRT (i.e., empty bed residence time) was 45 seconds. Pressure drop of the biofilter bed was 4-5 mm $H_2O/m$ column height. The maximum removal capacity was in the order of PU-dolomite > PU-zeolite > PU-sepiolite > PU-barite, while the complete removal capacity was in the order of PU-dolomite > PU-sepiolite > PU-zeolite > PU-barite. The better biofiltration performance in PU-dolomite foam was because PU-dolomite foam had lower density and higher porosity than the others providing favorable conditions for microbial growth. The results of biodegradation kinetic analysis showed that PU-dolomite foam had higher maximum removal rate ($V_m\;=\;11.04\;g$ toluene/kg dry material/day) and saturation constant ($K_s\;=\;26.57\;ppm$) than the other PU foams. This supports that PU-dolomite foam was better than the others for biofilteration of toluene.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2005

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an environmental contaminant provoking genetic mutation and damages to liver and central nerve system even at low concentrations. A practical scheme is reported using toluene as a primary substrate to revitalize the biofilter column for an extended period of TCE degradation. The rate of trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation by Pseudomonas putida F1 at $25^{\circ}C$ decreased exponentially with time, without toluene feeding to a biofilter column ($11\;cm\;I.D.{\times}95\;cm$ height). The rate of decrease was 2.5 times faster at a TCE concentration of $970\;{\mu}g/L$ compared to a TCE concentration of $110\;{\mu}g/L$. The TCE itself was not toxic to the cells, but the metabolic intermediates of the TCE degradation were apparently responsible for the decrease in the TCE degradation rate. A short-term (2 h) supply of toluene ($2,200\;{\mu}g/L$) at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 6.4 min recovered the relative column activity by $43\%$ when the TCE removal efficiency at the time of toluene feeding was $58\%$. The recovery of the TCE removal efficiency increased at higher incoming toluene concentrations and longer toluene supply durations according to the Monod type of kinetic expressions. A longer duration ($1.4{\sim}2.4$ times) of toluene supply increased the recovery of the TCE removal efficiency by $20\%$ for the same toluene load.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.573-580
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• 2005

This study was to investigate the removal characteristics of toluene in a gas stream by using a biotrickling filter packed with zeolite-contained polyethylene media. The specific surface area and the void fraction of the media were $500\;m^2/m^3$ and 82%. The surface roughness of the media was higher than that of pure polyethylene media. The toluene removal efficiency decreased with increasing the inlet toluene concentration and gas flow rate. The maximum elimination capacity of toluene in the biotrickling filter was $64\;g/m^3{\cdot}hr$. During 200 days operation, toluene removal efficiency was maintained from 90% to 98% until 167 days, hereafter, it was rapidly reduced with a rise in pressure drop due to an excess proliferation of biomass on the media. Pressure drop and removal capability of the biotrickling filter was fully recovered after backwashing.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.37-46
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• 2007

This study developed composition-plastic media with woodchips and plastic as main materials, and examined the performance of media. Compared to the existing commercial media, the media had similar performance in removal efficiency and microbes attaching characteristic, and was evaluated that they are distinguished from economic side. Performance test of media was conducted to examine the removal capacity of toluene and hydrogen sulfide in a gas stream by using a lab-scale biotrickling filter systems packed with them. At a volumetric loading of $1.5\;m^3/hr$ with inlet concentration 260 ppm and empty bed residence time (EBRT) 42s, the toluene removal efficiency was shown over 90%, and the maximum elimination capacity of toluene in the biotrickling filter was $77g/m^3{\cdot}hr$. Effective co-treatments of $H_2S$ and Toluene were observed in the lab-scale biotrickling filters. The maximum elimination capacity of $H_2S$ was $100\;g-S/m^3{\cdot}hr$. Up to 100 ppm, the concentration of $H_2S$ did not have an effect on toluene removal efficiency, but the removal efficiency of toluene decreased with increasing inlet $H_2S$ concentration.