Performance of rotating drum biofilter for volatile organic compound removal at high organic loading rates

Uneven distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biomass, and excess biomass accumulation in some biofilters hinder the application of biofiltration technology. An innovative multilayer rotating drum biofilter (RDB) was developed to correct these problems. The RDB was operated at an empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 30 s and a rotational rate of 1.0 r/min. Diethyl ether was chosen as the model VOC. Performance of the RDB was evaluated at organic loading rates of 32.1, 64.2, 128, and 256 g ether/(m3·h) (16.06 g ether/(m3·h) ≈ 1.0 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/(m3·d)). The EBCT and organic loading rates were recorded on the basis of the medium volume. Results show that the ether removal efficiency decreased with an increased VOC loading rate. Ether removal efficiencies exceeding 99% were achieved without biomass control even at a high VOC loading rate of 128 g ether/(m3·h). However, when the VOC loading rate was increased to 256 g ether/(m3·h), the average removal efficiency dropped to 43%. Nutrient limitation possibly contributed to the drop in ether removal efficiency. High biomass accumulation rate was also observed in the medium at the two higher ether loading rates, and removal of the excess biomass in the media was necessary to maintain stable performance. This work showed that the RDB is effective in the removal of diethyl ether from waste gas streams even at high organic loading rates. The results might help establish criteria for designing and operating RDBs.