BIOFILTER TREATMENT OF ETHANOL VAPORS

Bench scale experiments and a numerical model were used to test the ef fectiveness of biofiltration in treating air contaminated with ethanol vapors. Three packing materials, granular activated carbon, compost, and a mixture of compost and diatomaceous earth were tested. The GAC m aterial supported the highest elimination rates, ranging from 53 to 21 9 grams/m3-hr for a range of loading rates. Partitioning coefficients for the contaminant on the biofilter packing material had a strong eff ect on the efficiency of the biofilters.