• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.116-124
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• 2022

In this study, waste air containing ethanol and hydrogen sulfide, was treated by an integrated hybrid system composed of two alternatively-operating UV/photocatalytic reactor-process and biofilter processes of a biofilter system having two units with an improved design (R reactor) and a conventional biofilter (L reactor). Both a pressure drop (△p) per unit process of the integrated hybrid system and a microbe-population-distribution of each biofilter process were observed. The △p of the UV/photocatalytic reactor process turned out very negligible. The △p of the L reactor was observed to increase continuously to 4.0~5.0 mmH₂O (i.e., 5.0~6.25 mmH₂O/m). In case of R reactor, its △p showed the one below ca. 16~20% of the △p of the L reactor. Adopting such microbes-carrying biofilter media with high porosity as waste-tire crumb media, and the improved biofilter design, contributed to △p of this study, reduced by ca. 37~50% and 40~53%, respectively, from the reported △p of conventional biofilter packed with biofilter media of the mixture (50:50) of wood chip and wood bark. In addition, the △p of R reactor in this study, reduced by ca. 80% from the reported △p of conventional biofilter packed with biofilter media of the mixture (75:25) of scoria with high porosity and compost, was mainly attributed to adopting the improved biofilter design. On the other hand, in case of L reactor, the CFU counts in its lowest column was analyzed double as much as those in any other columns. However, in case of R reactor, its CFU counts were bigger by 50% than the one of L reactor and its microbes were evenly distributed at its higher and lower columns of R_dn reactor and R_up reactor. This phenomena was attributed to an even moisture distribution of 50~55% of R reactor at its higher and lower columns. Therefore, R reactor showed superb characteristics in terms of both △p and microbe-population-distribution, compared to L reactor.