Performance evaluation of fungal biofilters packed with Pall rings, lava rock, and perlite for a-pinene removal

Abstract

[Abstract] The most suitable packing material for biofiltration of a-pinene was selected among Pall rings, lava rock, and perlite. In the present study, several biofilters fed a-pinene-polluted air were inoculated with a new fungal isolate of Ophiostoma stenoceras. The biofilters were packed either with lava rock or Pall rings alone or with a mixture of perlite and Pall rings. During the approximately 9 months operation, a-pinene’s removal efficiency, pressure drops, pH dependence and removal profile were evaluated. a-Pinene removal efficiencies were above 93.8%, 79.4% and 58.6% at an inlet loading rate of 100 g.m-3.h-1 in the biofilters packed with Pall rings, lava rock, and a mixture of Pall rings and perlite, respectively. The fungus preferred to grow in lava rock and the mixture of Pall rings and perlite instead of Pall rings alone. Moreover, with sufficient nutrients and buffer solution, the biofilter packed with the mixture of Pall rings and perlite reached the highest elimination capacity compared to the other two packing materials. The pressure drop of the biofilter packed with the mixture of Pall rings and perlite did not exceed 11 mm H2O.m-1. The low-pressure drop reached when using the mixture of Pall rings and perlite as packing material allows to conveniently prevent clogging and channeling problems often associated with conventional biofilter operations.