REMOVAL OF NITROBENZENE VAPORS BY A TRICKLING AIR BIOFILTER

A stable microbial consortium that grew on nitrobenzene (NB) as its so le source of carbon, nitrogen and energy and liberated excess nitrogen as ammonia, was immobilized on a perlite-packed trickling air biofilt er. On a sustained basis, the biofilter removed 50 g NB m(-3) packing h(-1) and its operation at pH 8.7 resulted in ammonia stripping, makin g pH and salinity controls unnecessary. Low maintenance and stable per formance during 4 months of continuous operation invite the scale-up o f this biofilter for control of NB emissions.