The effects of methanol on the biofiltration of dimethyl sulfide in inorganic biofilters

Abstract

Air emissions from the pulp and paper industry frequently contain reduced sulfur compounds (RSC), such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) mixed with volatile organic compounds (VOC) (e.g., methanol, MeOH) and it is desirable to treat either one or both of these groups of compounds. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of VOC (MeOH) on the biofiltration of DMS. Results obtained from continuous experiments using three bench-scale biofilters packed with inorganic material clearly show that MeOH has a positive effect (11-fold increase) on the biofiltration of DMS. Further experiments indicate that MeOH addition enhances biomass concentration and viability (threefold) in the biofilters. However, a suspension of MeOH addition causes a rapid significant increase (twofold) in the removal rate of DMS, suggesting that the presence of MeOH also has a competitive effect on DMS biodegradation. This negative effect was also confirmed in batch experiments. The decrease of biofilter performance with time for a long-term suspension of MeOH addition indicates that MeOH addition is necessary to sustain a high removal rate of DMS in inorganic biofilters. Results on metabolic products of DMS biodegradation demonstrate that DMS is almost completely converted to sulfate in the absence of MeOH, while it is partially oxidized to elemental sulfur in the presence of MeOH. This study suggests that there exists an optimum mix of DMS and MeOH for the treatment of DMS emissions in inorganic biofilters.