Desenvolupament i caracterització de bioreactors per al tractament biològic d'efluents gaseosos

Biological systems for treatment of waste gases polluted with volatile organic compounds and odour are an emerging technology for air pollution control. This project intends to evaluate the technical and economical viability of biological systems for polluted offgases treatment. A biofilter, a biotrickling filter and a bioscrubber will be used as experimental setups during the project. Performance of each bioreactor will be studied using five model compounds (toluene, hydrogen sulfide, trichloroetylene, ammonia and propionic acid). Bioreactors will be operated and monitored under changing inlet concentrations and air flows. After operation of the bioreactor with a single pollutant and hydrogen sulfide. Kinetic parameters of biological degradation will be assessed during the performance analysis for each reactor at the single pollutant operation stage. Biomass samples taken at different times along the length of each reactor will be used for respirometry tests. Bioreactors modelling will be performed thereafter provided that hydrodynamics and physical parameters of packed bed systems will be previously determined. Partial differential equations involved in multiphase bioreactors will be solved using CFD (Computacional Fluid Dynamics) simulation techniques. Literature data and experimental and modelling information will be used to define a logic tree to allow selection of the best available treatment system depending on the characteristics of the air source to be treated. Project will end up with a validation stage of two bioreactors that will operate treating real effluents from two companies involved in the present project