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Analysis and improvement of steady-state and transient biofilter models for VOC control
Mustafa, Basil Moawia Abderahman
Mustafa, Basil Moawia Abderahman
Date
2024-04
Advisor
Type
Thesis
Degree
Citations
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35.232-2024.16a Basil Moawia Abderahman Mustafa.pdf
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Description
A Master of Science thesis in Chemical Engineering by Basil Moawia Abderahman Mustafa entitled, “Analysis and improvement of steady-state and transient biofilter models for VOC control”, submitted in April 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Zarook Shareefdeen. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).
Abstract
The biological treatment of contaminated gases has become of great importance, particularly in urban areas, where ensuring access to clean air is a critical aspect of addressing climate change, as outlined in one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Various industrial facilities such as wastewater treatment plants, food processing units, and solid waste recycling applications are responsible for contaminated air loaded with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ammonia, etc. Biofiltration is an efficient, well-known biological technology that utilizes microorganisms to metabolize the contaminants through oxidation. Biofiltration has been progressively considered a robust alternative to the physiochemical conventional treatment methods (i.e., incineration, chemical oxidation, absorption) because of its advantages over the latter in terms of economic and environmental aspects. Biofilter mathematical models under steady-state and transient conditions are essential to design, scale-up and to predict biofilter performance under different operating conditions. Mathematical models under steady state and transient conditions provide a concrete description of the biological process and help in understanding different phenomena of such complex systems. This study focuses on developing a zero-order transient analytical two parameter biofiltration model that can predict the removal of single VOC in a biofilter. Sensitivity analysis was used to identify the key parameters importance. The new simple, two parameter analytical model showed good prediction capabilities when subjected to transient conditions. Moreover, the model showed robustness when used in validating various experimental biofiltration data from the literature.