Biotrickling filter for the removal of volatile sulfur compounds from sewers: A review

Hao Bu; Gilda Carvalho; Zhiguo Yuan; Philip Bond; Guangming Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130333

Biotrickling filter for the removal of volatile sulfur compounds from sewers: A review

Chemosphere. 2021 Aug:277:130333. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130333. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Authors

Hao Bu¹, Gilda Carvalho¹, Zhiguo Yuan¹, Philip Bond², Guangming Jiang³

Affiliations

¹ Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, QLD, Australia.
² School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, QLD, Australia.
³ School of Civil, Mining & Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: gjiang@uow.edu.au.

PMID: 33780683
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130333

Abstract

Volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) were identified as the dominant priority odorants emitted from sewers, including hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), methyl mercaptan (MM), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Biotrickling filter (BTF) is a widely-applied technology for odour abatement in sewers because of its relatively low operating cost and efficient H₂S removal. The authors review the mechanisms and performance of BTF for the removal of these four VSCs, and discuss the key influencing factors including of empty bed residence time (EBRT), pH, temperature, nutrients, water content, trickling operation and packing materials. Besides, measures to improve the VSCs removal in BTF are proposed in the context of key influencing factors. Finally, the review assesses the new challenges of BTF for sewer emissions treatment, namely with respect to the performance of BTF for greenhouse gases (GHG) treatment.

Keywords: Biotrickling filter; DMDS; DMS; H(2)S; MM; Odour abatement.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Bioreactors
Filtration
Hydrogen Sulfide*
Odorants
Sulfur Compounds*

Substances

Sulfur Compounds
Hydrogen Sulfide