Effects of mineral salts addition on the Behaviour of an ethanol Biofilter

摘要

Ethanol biofiltration was studied in a 0.1651 packed bed reactor filled with sugar cane bagasse complemented with mineral medium and inoculated with Candida utilis. The main objective was to improve the elimination capacity of the system by adding salts to the solid medium. The biofilter was operated for one month, varying both the inlet ethanol concentration (7.6-16.5 g m~-3) and the airflow rate(1.61-2.50 X 10~-3 m~3 h~-1). Removal efficiency(RE) of 100/100 was attained at ethanol loads ranging from 74.2 to 250 g h~-1 m~-3. When the RE decreased, acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate appeared in the outlet stream; adding mineral salts restored a 100/100 RE.