Performance of a Biofilter in MTBE Removal

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine the effectiveness of a laboratory-scale biofilter in the removal of MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) and to investigate the effects of operating parameters on biofilter performance. The experimental results show that MTBE removals exceeded 80% during operation throughout the 42-day biofilter acclimation period. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) of the biofilter was about 18 g MTBE‧m^(-3)‧h^(-1). Furthermore, MTBE removal efficiency increased from 72% to 86% as the liquid feeding rate (LFR) increased from 10 to 40 ml/min. However, the removal efficiency dropped to 78% as the LFR increased to 60 ml/min. It is believed that high moisture contents in the biofilter caused the reduction of the mass transfer rate, leading to the decrease in removal efficiencies. More than 99% removal efficiencies were achieved for inlet MTBE concentration at 50 ppm with the highest empty-bed residence time (EBRT). Hence, MTBE removal efficiency increases while EBRT increases.