Abatement of High Concentrated Ammonia Loaded Waste Gases in Compost Biofilters

Authors: Smet E.¹; van Langenhove H.¹; Maes K.²

Source: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, Volume 119, Numbers 1-4, April 2000 , pp. 177-190(14)

Publisher: Springer

Abstract:

The performance of lab-scale compost biofilters for the purification of waste gases containing high (>70 mg m^-3) ammonia concentrations was studied. When using fresh compost material, no effect of inoculating the compost material with a nitrifying culture was observed since high elimination capacities (up to 350 g NH_3 m^-3 d^-1) were obtained in both the inoculated and the non-inoculated biofilter. Due to the physico-chemical interaction of NH_3 with the compost material at the start of the experiment, no microbiological start-up period was observed and high removal efficiencies were obtained from the first day on. Next to this, no NH_3-toxicity was observed even at concentrations up to 550 mg NH_3 m^-3. About 50% of the NH_3-removal was found to be nitrified, while the other 50% remained in the biofilter as NH_4^+. As a result of this, no acidification of the carrier material was observed and NH_4NO_3 accumulated in the biofilter. Due to osmotic effects, however, a complete inhibition in nitrification and NH_3-removal was obtained at a measured NH_4NO_3-concentration in the compost material of 6–7 g N kg^-1, corresponding to a cumulative NH_3-removal in the biofilter of ±6000 g m^-3. Finally, it was illustrated that the removal of the odorant dimethyl sulfide (Me_2S) in a Hyphomicrobium MS3-inoculated compost biofilter is completely inhibited due to NH_3-toxicity at a waste gas concentration of 100 mg NH_3 m^-3. Next to this, the NH_4^+- and NO_3^--concentrations in the compost material that were shown to inhibit the nitrification, also strongly affected the Me_2S-degrading activity of Hyphomicrobium MS3.

Keywords: ammonia; biofilter; dimethyl sulfide; inhibition; inoculation; nitrification

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences, University of Ghent, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium 2: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences, University of Ghent, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium (author for correspondence, e-mail: herman.vanlangenhove@rug.ac.be)

Publication date: 2000-04-01

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• In this Subject: Hydraulic & Environmental Engineering
• By this author: Smet E. ;  van Langenhove H. ;  Maes K.

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