TRANSIENT-STATE BEHAVIOR OF A BIOFILTER REMOVING MIXTURES OF VAPORS OF MEK AND MIBK FROM AIR

In the work reported here, selected aspects of the dynamic behavior of biofilters for waste air treatment have been investigated. Emphasis w as placed on transient state elimination of mixtures of methyl ethyl k etone (MEK) and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) vapors and on explanatio n of the observed phenomena. The initial startup, the response of the biofilter to step changes in the pollutant loadings, responses to poll utant pulses, restarting after starvation, and the influence of step c hanges in gaseous phase oxygen partial pressure are presented and disc ussed. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.