Treatment of styrene-contaminated airstream in biotrickling filter packed with slags

This paper reports the result of studies using a biotrickling filter with blast-furnace slag packings (sizes = 2-4 cm and specific surface area = 120 m(2)/m(3)) for treatment of styrene in an airstream. The effects of volumetric styrene loading L, superficial gas velocity U-0 and liquid recirculation rate V-L on the styrene elimination capacity K, and the removal efficiency K/L were tested. Variations of styrene concentration with packing height as well as rates of nutrient utilization were also tested. The results show that for L < 30 g/m(3).h, K/L was nearly independent of U-0 in the range of 29-67 m/h and was independent of V-L in the range of 3.84-9.60 m/h. In this range, the rate of styrene removal was both reaction and diffusion limited and the reaction was of zero-order kinetics. For higher loadings, K/L decreased with increasing U-0 and increased with increasing V-L,and the system approached the condition of reaction limitation.