Comparative Analysis of AOPs and Biological Processes for the Control of VOCs Industrial Emissions

摘要

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emissions from a wide range of industrial plants have become a majorissue in the framework of atmospheric pollution, due to their negative effects on human and environmentalhealth. VOC-laden emissions are also responsible for odour annoyance. To comply with the stringentregulations and to avoid complaints from the population living near these plants, the most suitable treatmenttechnologies should be identified and implemented. Chemical-physical off-gas treatments such as adsorptionand scrubbing, are proven and tested technologies; however, they only promote the transfer of thecontaminants from the gaseous to solid or liquid phase, and further treatments are thus required. Biologicalprocesses and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), instead, are able to support the degradation andmineralization of organic compounds, resulting in more effective solutions. This study presents and discussesa comparative analysis of the biological processes and AOPs for the removal of VOCs, focusing on assessingtheir potential application for industrial waste gas treatment. A numerical procedure, based on thequantification of a set of parameters classified into clusters, was proposed to evaluate the most suitableprocess for the treatment of the VOC-laden emissions in the different industrial sectors. The results, based ona semi-quantitative ranking of the different identified parameters, pointed out the weaknesses and strengths ofthe investigated processes. AOPs entailed high elimination capacities, but the emissions of hazardous byproductsshould be controlled and reduced. Biotechnologies have emerged as cost-effective andenvironmental friendly processes; however, the efficiencies of these processes are often limited by thepresence of recalcitrant and toxic secondary metabolites.