Performance of a pilot-scale biotrickling filter in controlling the volatile organic compound emissions in a furniture manufacturing facility.
A 0.75-m3 pilot-scale biotrickling filter was run for over 1 yr in a Spanish furniture company to evaluate its performance in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contained in the emission of two different paint spray booths. The first one was an open front booth used to manually paint furniture, and the second focus was an automatically operated closed booth operated to paint pieces of furniture. In both cases, the VOC emissions were very irregular, with rapid and extreme fluctuations. The pilot plant was operated at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) ranging from 10 to 40 sec, and good removal efficiencies of VOCs were usually obtained. When a buffering activated carbon prefilter was installed, the system performance was improved considerably, so a much better compliance with legal constraints was reached. After different shutdowns in the factory, the period to recover the previous performance of the biotrickling reactor was minimal. A weekend dehydration strategy was developed and implemented to control the pressure drop associated with excessive biomass accumulation.
Martínez-Soria
Vicente
V
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. vmsoria@uv.es
Gabaldón
Carmen
C
Penya-Roja
Josep M
JM
Palau
Jordi
J
Alvarez-Hornos
F Javier
FJ
Sempere
Feliu
F
Soriano
Carlos
C
D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019149:Bioreactors; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods*; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D008420:Manufactured Materials; D010150:Paint; D010865:Pilot Projects; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds