title: Influence of ground tire rubber on the transient loading response of a peat biofilter.
abstract: The effect of using ground tire rubber (GTR) as an adsorptive material in the removal of a 2:1:1 weight mixture of n-butyl acetate, toluene and m-xylene by using a peat biofilter under different intermittent conditions was investigated. The performance of two identical size biofilters, one packed with fibrous peat alone and the other with a 3:1 (vol) fibrous peat and GTR mixture, was examined for a period of four months. Partition coefficients of both materials were measured. Values of 53, 118 and 402 L kg(-1) were determined for n-butyl acetate, toluene and m-xylene in peat, respectively; and values of 40, 609 and 3035 L kg(-1) were measured for the same compounds in GTR. Intermittent load feeding of 16 h per day, 5 days per week working at an EBRT of 60 s and an inlet VOC concentration of 0.3 g C m(-1), resulted in removal efficiencies higher than 90% for both biofilters, indicating that the addition of GTR did not adversely affect the behavior of the bioreactor. Full removal of n-butyl acetate was obtained for both biofilters. GTR improved the removal of the aromatics in the first part of the biofilter, facilitating lower penetration of the toluene and m-xylene into the bed. A 31-day starvation period was applied and intermittent operation subsequently restarted. In both biofilters, high removal efficiencies after a re-acclimation period of two days were achieved. A shock loading test related to 1-h peaks of three- and four-fold increases in its baseline concentration (0.30 g C m(-3)) was applied in both biofilters. For the biofilter packed with the peat and GTR mixture, attenuation greater than 60% was observed in the maximum outlet concentration when compared to the biofilter packed with peat alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Hornos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Izquierdo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martínez-Soria
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Penya-Roja
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sempere
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gabaldón
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000032:analysis; D000327:Adsorption; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods*; D012408:Rubber / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D014050:Toluene / Q000032:analysis; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D014992:Xylenes / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D000393:Air Pollutants; D012987:Soil; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D014992:Xylenes; D014050:Toluene; C006848:butyl acetate; D012408:Rubber