THE EFFECT OF NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE BIOFILTRATION REMOVAL OF BUTANAL IN CONTAMINATED AIR

Butanal is one of the odorous compounds produced in the animal-renderi ng and food-processing industries and also in sewage-treatment plants. It shows the necessity for complementing such plants with systems for off-gas treatment. Biofiltration using simple packing material was te sted for the removal of butanal. Excellent results were obtained when the filters operated at optimal humidity and were supplemented with in organic nutrients. Without nutrients, butyric acid was detected in the effluent gas, which may explain the lower efficiency of filters witho ut nutrients. Under optimal conditions an elimination of around 90 g.m -3.h-1 was reached.