Experimental analysis and modeling of the methane degradation in a three stage biofilter using composted sawdust as packing media

Abstract

Methane gas is a very effective greenhouse gas and the second-largest contributor to global warming. Biofiltration is an effective technology that uses microorganisms to degrade the pollutant by oxidizing it. In this work, the performance of a biofilter with supporting filter media, consisting of composted sawdust, is evaluated at three different sampling ports. Furthermore, a transient model is developed to predict methane concentration at various heights and times. The developed model is validated with the experimental data and shows good agreement with the experimental data. The highest removal efficiency and elimination capacity was found to be 72% and 0.108 g m−3 h−1 respectively. The effect of parameters such as specific surface area, the reaction rate constant, biofilm thickness and airflow rate were studied on the outlet methane concentration. Under similar conditions, the simulations showed that the removal efficiency of 95% might be achieved for the height of 2 m.