Abstract
Biological processors are typically used in liquid- and gas-phase remediation as separately staged systems. This research presents a novel application of a biotrickling filter operated for simultaneous treatment of contaminants present in graywater and waste gas (ammonia and hydrogen sulfide). Liquid- and gas-phase contaminants were monitored via bioreactor influent/effluent samples over the course of a 300-day study. An oxygen-based bioassay was used to determine spatial location of the functional groups involved in the biodegradation of surfactants, dissolved hydrogen sulfide, and ammonium. Results indicated that a biotrickling filter is able to support the wide range of microbial species required to degrade the compounds found in graywater and waste gas, maintaining conversion efficiencies greater than 90% for parent surfactant compounds and waste gas constituents. These results provide evidence of an operational scheme that potentially reduces footprint size and cost of graywater/waste gas biotreatment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2096-2103 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Water Environment Research |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2008 |
Keywords
- Biotrickling filter
- Graywater
- Hydrogen sulfide
- Nitrification
- Sustainable systems
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Chemistry
- Ecological Modeling
- Water Science and Technology
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Pollution