Abstract
International contracts to restrict emissions of climate-relevant gases, and thus global warming, also require a critical reconsideration of technologies for treating municipal, commercial, industrial, and agricultural waste gas emissions. A change from energy- and resource-intensive technologies, such as thermal post-combustion and adsorption, as well to low-emission technologies with high energy and resource efficiency, becomes mandatory. Biological processes already meet these requirements, but show restrictions in case of treatment of complex volatile organic compound (VOC) mixtures and space demand. Innovative approaches combining advanced oxidation and biofiltration processes seem to be a solution. In this review, biological processes, both as stand-alone technology and in combination with advanced oxidation processes, were critically evaluated in regard to technical, economical, and climate policy aspects, as well as present limitations and corresponding solutions to overcome these restrictions.
Highlights
Studies of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and British Petroleum showed that by 2040 the global gross domestic product is expected to double, while greenhouse gas emissions will rise by around 30% [1,2]
Biological waste gas treatment processes are firstly presented in an overview and with regard to technical, economic, and ecological aspects
Besides competing waste gas and waste air purification techniques, like adsorption, physical or chemical scrubbing, membrane processes, condensation, thermal oxidative combustion processes, UV oxidation, non-thermal plasma (NTP), or thermal plasma, biological processes represent an important technology established at large-scale in treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and odors in agricultural, municipal, and industrial applications and are used either as stand-alone technology or in combination with the mentioned non-biological approaches
Summary
Studies of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and British Petroleum showed that by 2040 the global gross domestic product is expected to double, while greenhouse gas emissions will rise by around 30% [1,2]. In order to achieve this goal, it is inevitable that agricultural, municipal and industrial waste gas applications have to be addressed through innovative energy and resource-efficient technologies. This review is concluded by presentation of current trends in the innovative combination of biological processes with advanced-oxidation technologies to overcome the listed restrictions. This process combinations show high energy and resource efficiencies and are sustainable process solutions. The application of these sustainable process combinations will be necessary to meet the requirements in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, to overcome current restrictions of biological waste gas processes, and to increase the applicability of bio-based waste gas treatment
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