Development, experimental validation and sensitivity analysis of a mathematical model of biofiltration for hydrogen sulfide removal

Abstract

A dynamic model which describes the removal of hydrogen sulfide from contaminated air in a biotrickling filter has been developed. The model includes mathematical expressions for contaminant mass transfer and biodegradation kinetics. According to the experimental results which reveal the influence of biofilm thickness on the hydrogen removal efficiency of the biotrickling filter, the proposed model attempts to describe the loss of biomass and changes in biofilm thickness. The loss of biofilm due to shear or sloughing is also explicitly incorporated into the model. Model evaluation is performed by comparison of model simulations with experimental data. When the model are simulated under the assumption of unrestricted growth of microorganisms, the model can predict the behavior of the system under various operating conditions. When including biofilm detachment, the model simulations show improvement in prediction of both the removal efficiency and biofilm thickness in comparison to the model simulations under the unrestricted growth condition. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis of model parameters shows that the gas and liquid flow rates have a significant effect on hydrogen sulfide removal, while the maximum growth rate and biomass yield have an intermediate influence.