Volatile organic compounds, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide removal using a two-stage membrane biofiltration process

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2020.10.017Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Pilot two-stage biofilter (traditional bed and membrane fabrics) was tested.

  • 4 configurations of biofilter were analyzed (2 beds and 2 membranes).

  • RE and EC of VOCs, NH3 and H2S from gases in a semi-technical scale was analyzed.

  • Membrane application allows simultaneous removal of low concentration VOCs, NH3 and H2S with high RE.

  • Average RE was maintained between 97% (for VOCs) to 99% (for NH3 and H2S).

Abstract

The analysis of biofiltration efficiency was performed with parallel VOC, H2S and NH3 removal using pilot two-stage biofilters including conventional biofiltration and purification on a membrane filter. The scope of the research was to determine the relationship between the technological parameters of the tested device (two beds and two membranes) and gases removal efficiency. Research was carried out in a semi-technical scale in three industrial plants: mechanical-biological municipal waste treatment (MBT), food industry (FI) and wastewater treatment (WWTP) plants. Experimental results indicate the efficiency removal of VOCs from 89% (WWTP) to 98% (FI), NH3 from 88% (WWTP) to 100% (MBT) and H2S from 93% (WWTP) to 100% (MBT). Biofilter with stumpwood chips-bark-compost bed, fortified with the more porous membrane was the most effective, allowing VOC, NH3 and H2S removal with an average efficiency of 99% for NH3 and H2S and 97% for VOCs. The application of membrane fabrics as the second stage of purification allows high efficiency simultaneous removal of VOCs, NH3 and H2S. Unlike two-stage purification, conventional biofiltration is effective at removing individual impurities from process gases. The results of this study indicate a high potential for practical application.

Introduction

Odour nuisance and emission of pollution to the air are significant problems in many municipal facilities, such as sewage treatment plants or installations for mixed municipal waste treatment. Similar problems also occur in some industrial areas, e.g. in food processing (Capelli et al., 2008; Gospodarek et al., 2019; Iranpour et al., 2005; Rybarczyk et al., 2019a; Zhang et al., 2016). The main pollutants causing odour nuisance in these facilities include, among others, hydrogen sulphide, ammonia and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (Brancher et al., 2017b; Jo et al., 2015; Kim and Rowe, 2012; Lewkowska et al., 2016; Mudliar et al., 2010a; Vikrant et al., 2018a). Odour nuisance is also becoming a widely perceived aspect of ambient air quality, and is therefore associated with more restrictive emission standards (Bajpai, 2014; Brancher et al., 2017a; European Comission, 2018).

Reduction of H2S, NH3 and VOC emission by installations that are a nuisance has for many years been implemented using biological processes, including devices having the nature of bioreactors (Dumont, 2015; Iranpour et al., 2005; Lebrero et al., 2012). In these bioreactors a moisturised gases go through a bed of organic material impregnated with microorganisms that disintegrate the pollutants. Biological methods have many advantages, such as the possibility to naturally reconstruct bacterial flora, and is free of extensive secondary pollution (Rybarczyk et al., 2019b). There are also some problems in using this technology, such as biomass accumulation within the bed, fouling, formation of preferential pathways, excessive pressure drop, and difficulty in controlling the operational parameters. Nonetheless, biological methods are an interesting alternative to other gas treatment methods such as thermal oxidation, catalytic oxidation or absorption, and constitute over 70% of methods for the treatment of odour-causing gases used in industrial facilities (Wani et al., 2008). The most commonly used biological treatment solutions are biofilters (horizontal and vertical), bioscrubbers and biological deposits (Mudliar et al., 2010b).

Biofiltration is used in a varying gas concentration range, primarily for odour substances and VOCs; however, according to the literature, this technology is dedicated to low concentrations of pollutants and high gas flow rates (Beuger and Gostomski, 2009; Liu and Ma, 2011; Wani et al., 2017). Depending on the intake concentrations, composition of the polluted gas and the biofilter processing parameters, the process efficiency achieved may vary. For VOCs, the literature recommends using biofiltration in a concentration range below 1000 ppm. Higher concentrations may be toxic to the biological microflora. For example, for toluene at concentrations around 30%, biofiltration efficiency of 99% was obtained, while for 60 ppm the efficiency dropped to 82% (Gostomski, 2012). In addition, in laboratory testing at a concentration of 50–2000 ppm very good results for VOC removal by biofiltration are obtained–efficiency reaching 99% (Iranpour et al., 2005); however, other sources indicate that the results of VOC reduction in biofilters operating under field conditions range from 20% to 90% (Malakar et al., 2017). Table 1 presents examples of parameters related to the obtained results of H2S, NH3 and VOC biofiltration.

The degradability of impurities from process gases depends on their chemical characteristics, including water solubility (Khan and Aloke, 2000). VOCs compared to H2S and NH3, are characterized by poor water solubility, which affects the technological parameters and the efficiency of the all biofiltration process. The Empty-Bed Residence Time and the correct humidity are particularly important. According to literature reports, the EBRT should be longer for lower solubility gases (Alinezhad et al., 2019), to allow the transfer of pollutants into the water phase. Proper humidity is also important when removing hydrophobic VOCs. Too low level can be harmful to the microorganisms in the bed, however excess moisture may cause the formation of anaerobic zones and clogging of the bed. As a result, there are problems with the transport of oxygen and hard-dissolving pollutants to the biofilm (Cheng et al., 2016).

Other key process parameters of the biofilter bed include the type of bed packing used, organic matter content, reaction and mechanical properties (Kaosol and Pongpat, 2011; Yang and Allen, 1994). An important feature is also the homogeneity of the bed, enabling even distribution of water and air (Vikrant et al., 2018b). Packing media quality is responsible for regulating complex phenomena such as microbial growth and activities, mass transfer, absorption, and adsorption. Observations on the impact of biofilter bed packing can be found in the article published by Ramírez-Sáenz et al. (2009), where significant differences in the effectiveness of the process using compost, peat, granules of calcium alginate or perlite have been indicated. Similar conclusions can also be found in Vikrant et al. (2018b).

Biofiltration efficiency also depends on the nature of the research. Data given in publications indicates that the results obtained in the laboratory are definitely better than those obtained in industrial scale. It is due to the limited ability to control the atmospheric conditions and operating parameters of the device itself (among others gas flow rate, hydraulic load), which can be variable over the time (Dumont, 2015; Iranpour et al., 2005; Sheridan et al., 2002). In this context, it is important that research on the effectiveness of the industrial gas nuisance removal using biofiltration is also carried out on semi-technical and technical equipment. A review of the literature also indicates that the elimination of a single impurity is more effective than the removal of many compounds when only one biofilter is used. This is due to changes in the filter bed occurring due to biochemical processes (Lebrero et al., 2013; Lee et al., 2005; Li et al., 2019; Pagans et al., 2007).

Membrane reactors for purifying process gases are also recognized as bioreactors. They are mainly used for hardly water-soluble compounds, in particular, positive effects have been reported at low pollutant concentrations. The purification process is based on the separation of polluted gas passing through the membrane and contact with microorganisms on the other side of the membrane layer Reij et al., 1998. The membrane bioreactor additionally creates a small aqueous phase, which gives better conditions for maintaining the microflora due to the humidity and availability of nutrients (Lebrero et al., 2013). The following types of membranes are used: dense (selective purification, also physical-chemical reactions), microporous, porous-the most-passed are exposed to clogging, which is the main operational problem (replacement of the membrane every 2–3 years). Literature indicates that key parameters affecting the efficiency of gas purification by membrane systems are: proper membrane selection, bioreactor configuration and operational conditions Bakonyi et al., 2013 however, previous studies point to the application of membrane reactors for the purification of single pollutants in high concentrations (Lebrero et al., 2013).

Many researchers have achieved a high level of contaminant removal by biofiltration, including VOCs, NH3 and H2S (Kim et al., 2003; Rabbani et al., 2016). However, in order to increase the economic and operational advantages of this method, there is still a need to conduct research to improve its effectiveness, especially if applied on a full technical scale. Analysis of existing technological solutions indicates the need to find new variants in the configuration and construction of biofiltration devices of greater efficiency, removing odour-forming pollutants from industrial gases and, at the same time, ensuring process stability (Ralebitso-Senior et al., 2012). Selected studies were focused on the two-stage purification of process gases contaminated with H2S and NH3 or H2S and VOCs. Both stages used biological methods of purification but the difference was various bacteria strains were used to colonise the bed (Chung et al., 2005) or several parallel biofiltration modules (serial packing layers) were provided (Chen et al., 2008; Jeong et al., 2006).

In the study mentioned in this article, an analysis and assessment of biofiltration efficiency was performed with parallel VOC, H2S and NH3 removal using a pilot two-step biofilter including conventional biofiltration and using a membrane as the second stage. The objective of the analysis was to determine the relationship between the technological parameters of the tested device (two beds and two membranes were analysed) and gas purification effectiveness (measured by removal efficiency–RE and elimination capacity–EC). The advantageous impact of the second stage of purification (membrane) on the bed parameters and the biofiltration RE obtained were given in an earlier study on VOC removal from food industry gases (Lelicińska-Serafin et al., 2019).

Section snippets

Semi-technical scale setup

Research on the effectiveness of process gas purification was carried out in a semi-technical scale in three industrial plants: a mechanical-biological municipal solid waste treatment plant (MBT), a food industry plant (FI), and a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The biofilters were connected to odoriferous components from the aforementioned plants. Polluted gases were respectively taken from the oxygen stabilisation hall at MBT, the production hall at FI (industrial production of animal and

Process parameters

The parameters of the two-stage membrane biofiltration process carried out at individual plants are presented in Table 3.

The gas purification process was carried out in each case with biofilter surface load within the range recommended in the literature (45–150 m3 m−2 h−1) (Bajpai, 2014; Tiwari et al., 2019) and at the correct volume load (5–500 m3 m−3 h−1) (McNevin and Barford, 2000).

EBRT was at the level recommended in other studies; (McNevin and Barford, 2000; Malakar et al., 2017) give a

Conclusions

The results obtained in the presented research make a significant contribution to the search for more effective methods for biological purification of gases. According to the literature, conventional biofiltration is effective at removing individual impurities from process gases. Two-stage purification of process gases also provides much better results when several different compounds are removed from gases simultaneously. In addition, the use of the membrane as the second stage of

Conflict of interest

None declared.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Centre for Research and Development under the Smart Growth Operational Programme 2014–2020 [grant number POIR.04.01.02-00-0019/16]

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