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The removal of volatile ketone mixtures from air in biofilters

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Abstract

The work reported concerns the removal of mixtures of two ketones, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), which find wide application as industrial solvents, from effluent air streams in downward flow biofilters operating at relative humidities in excess of 95 percent. The inlet concentrations of the two pollutants were 300 mg m−3 MEK and 330 mg m−3 MIBK. Maximum elimination capacities achieved were 50 g m−3h−1 for MEK and 20 g m−3h−1 for MIBK. Marked interaction between the elimination of the two ketones was observed and established biophysical models for the kinetic analysis of biofilter operation proved inadequate as far as the complex processes involved in multi-component biodegradable vapour elimination were concerned. The complexity of such systems requires further definition and the development of appropriate models for process evaluation and design.

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Abbreviations

a m2m−3 :

interfacial area per volume unit

C gmg m−3 :

gaseous concentration

D em2 s−1 :

effective diffusion coefficient

h, H m:

height, total bed height

K 1 s−1 :

first order reaction rate constant

K 0 g m−3s−1 :

zero-order reaction rate constant

m i :

distribution coefficient of component i

U gms−1 :

superficial gas flow rate

δ m:

biolayer thickness

η or %:

degree of conversion, removal (η = (Cgi-Cgo)/Cgi)

i :

inlet

o :

outlet

bf :

biofilter

MEK :

methyl ethyl ketone

MIBK :

methyl isobutyl ketone

Solvent load:

mgsolvent/(m 3biofilter hour)

Surface load:

m 3gas /(m 2biofilter hour)

Volume load:

m 3gas /(m 3biofilter hour)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Technisch-Chemisches Labor, ETH-Zentrum, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland

    M. A. Deshusses

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University College Dublin, 4, Belfield Dublin, Ireland

    G. Hamer

Authors
  1. M. A. Deshusses
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  2. G. Hamer
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Deshusses, M.A., Hamer, G. The removal of volatile ketone mixtures from air in biofilters. Bioprocess Engineering 9, 141–146 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00389921

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