Biofiltration of air

During several decades, there have been numerous studies and attempts in th e field of the treatment of volatile organic solvent contaminated air, with the aim of finding a more efficient and less expensive process. In paralle l with the traditional air treatment technologies, biological processes hav e emerged in recent years. Biofiltration appears to be a particularly prefe rred path due to its efficiency, its environmental aspects, and its lower c osts. In this paper, the biofiltration technology is positioned in relation to conventional techniques and other biological air treatments. Subsequent ly, after a short historical account of biofiltration, the focus is put on the main objective of this literature review, presenting the current knowle dge about the basic principles of the process, its applicability, operation al conditions that influence performance and reliability of this process, a nd recent developments in mathematical biofilter modeling. Finally, industr ial applications and biofiltration processing costs are briefly discussed.