AN INTEGRATED THEORY FOR SUSPENDED-GROWTH BIOSCRUBBERS

An integrated theory is developed to describe the steady-state operati on of a suspended-growth bioscrubber for the control of biodegradable, volatile organic gases. The bioscrubber consists of an N-stage absorb er and an oxidation reactor. A biomass slurry is circulated between th e absorber and the oxidation reactor. The pollutant is absorbed and pa rtially oxidized in the absorber. Oxidation is completed in the oxidat ion reactor. Predictions of the theory show that the removal efficienc y is a function of Henry's Law constant for the pollutant, the ratio o f the liquid flow rate to the gas flow rate, and the number of stages. Since high efficiencies can be achieved for soluble, biodegradable, v olatile organic compounds, such systems have the potential to be a low -cost control method.