Biofilter modeling for waste air treatment: Comparisons of inherent characteristics of biofilter models

Abstract

The types of biofilter modeling may be primarily classified in accordance with whether a biofilm is differ- entiated from other phases in each model. It may be a secondary classification with regard to biofilter-modeling whether sorption volume and/or adsorption are adopted as reservoirs or not. Thirdly, biofilter models are classified as to whether adsorption is assumed to exist through gas phase and/or a biofilm. Among all the biofilter-models of previous inves- tigators all model-components including gas phase, a biofilm, sorption volume and adsorption surface are considered only in the model of Lim. Since his model does not require a numerical solution but an algebraic solution to describe the concentration of organic pollutants in waste-air-streams along the height of a biofilter even under unsteady-state conditions, it satisfies the condition of simplicity that is one of the important model requirements. In spite of its simplicity, Lim's model predictions are fairly good to fit Hodge and Devinny's experimental data.