Assessing the Ability of Biofiltration to Remove and Treat Diethanolamine from Contaminated Air Streams Using Compost-Based Biofilter

Abstract

Biofiltration method is one of the most commonly used and most effective methods to remove<br />pollutants from the exhaust gas flow from different industries. One of the most important categories of air<br />pollutants is HAP (Hazardous Air Pollutants). This Study assesses the ability of biofiltration method to<br />remove and treat HAP DEA (Diethanolamine) from a gas stream through a laboratory-scale biofilter column<br />filled with granular compost, plastic hose pieces and municipal wastewater sludge. After start-up period with<br />an average concentration of 6 ppm, the main period began with an average DEA inlet concentration of about<br />51.7 ppm corresponding to a loading rate of 0.97 g/m3.hr and empty bed residence time of 89s, the biofilter<br />reached a removal efficiency of about 89% by two weeks. The maximum EC of 26.85 g/m3.hr was achieved at<br />a loading rate of 42.62 g/m3.hr, corresponding to an inlet concentration of DEA of about 258 ppm. Also the<br />loading rates less than 28 g/m3.hr are recommended to achieve the efficiency higher than 80%. The biofiltration<br />method had an efficiency of more than 80% for concentrations <170 ppm at 40°C. Also the maximum pressure<br />drop was recorded 13.8 mmH2O. It is because of using a mixture of shredded plastic hose pieces as a bulking<br />agent due to a high level of porosity in the bed.