Construction and economics of a pilot/full-scale biological trickling filter reactor for the removal of volatile organic compounds from polluted air

The design and the construction of an actual 8.7-m(3) pilot/full-scale biot rickling filter for waste air treatment is described and compared with a pr evious conceptual scale-up of a laboratory reactor. The reactor constructio n costs are detailed and show that about one-half of the total reactor cost s ($97,000 out of $178,000) was for personnel and engineering time, whereas similar to 20% was for monitoring and control equipment. A detailed treatm ent cost analysis demonstrated that, for an empty bed contact time of 90 se c, the overall treatment costs (including capital charges) were as low as $ 8.7/1000 m(air)(3) in the case where a nonchlorinated volatile organic comp ound (VOC) was treated, and $14/1000 m(air)(3), for chlorinated compounds s uch as CH2Cl2. Comparison of these costs with conventional air pollution co ntrol techniques demonstrates excellent perspectives for more field applica tions of biotrickling filters. As the specific costs of building and operat ing biotrickling filter reactors decrease with increasing size of the react or, the cost benefit of biotrickling filtration is expected to increase for full technical-scale bioreactors.