The influence of the packing material on the efficiency of BTEX compound removal from air in a biofilter

Abstract

Biofiltration technology has emerged as the most widely applied and cost-effective method for mitigating odorous and harmful compounds in waste air streams, particularly in municipal waste treatment facilities. This study investigated the influence of different packing materials and the effect of additional microbial inoculation on the removal performance of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) from real post-composting exhaust air in conventional biofilters. The results showed that the highest removal efficiency of these aromatic hydrocarbons (removal efficiency between 0.80 and 0.99) was achieved in biofilters packed with ceramsite when the packing material was additionally inoculated with a commercial bacterial preparation. Under these conditions, the total BTEX elimination capacity reached approximately 11.2 g/(m³· h). The findings demonstrate promising strategies for the cost-effective enhancement of existing biofiltration systems by selecting appropriate packing materials and inoculation procedures to improve the removal of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes from waste gas streams.