Resolving operational and performance problems encountered in the use of a pilot/full‐scale biotrickling filter reactor

A pilot/full-scale biotrickling filter reactor experiment was p e rf o rmed at an industrial site to treat styrene laden waste gas. The engineered system consisted of two stainless steel tanks in series, each with filter bed volumes of 4.0 m3 , filled with 3.5inch plastic spheres. The system treated 340 m3 h -1 of air laden with styrene concentrations ranging up to 0.8 g m- 3 . O ver the five-month study, styrene elimination was demons t rated up to 24 g m-3 h -1 (35 g m - 3 h -1 a c ross the first tank in series) with 70 to 85% re m oval. Op e rational and perf o rmance problems we re identified that differ from those deve loped under controlled, labora t o ry set-ups. Op e rational pro blems typically invo l ved equipment malfunctions, with the most prone to failure pieces of equipment being the air sampling system and water level sensors. Pe rf o rmance pro b l e m s we re identified that possibly limited the styrene re m oval. The t ransient operation of the plant, producing discontinuous, unsteady-state concentrations, made it difficult to establish a stable biofilm on the packing material. Experiments we re perf o rmed indicating both biological and mass transfer limitations may have occurred.