Bioprocesses for air pollution control

TLDR

Bioprocesses are emerging alternatives to conventional non‑biological technologies for waste gas treatment and air pollution control. This review surveys major biodegradation processes and both established and innovative bioreactor configurations for treating polluted air. The paper discusses bioreactors such as biofilters, biotrickling filters, bioscrubbers, membrane bioreactors, rotating biodiscs and biodrums, suspended‑growth bioreactors, and hybrid configurations. Some of these bioreactors are already deployed at full scale, while others remain at laboratory or pilot stages. © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry.

Abstract

Abstract Bioprocesses have been developed as relatively recent alternatives to conventional, non‐biological technologies, for waste gas treatment and air pollution control in general. This paper reviews major biodegradation processes relevant in this field as well as both accepted and major innovative bioreactor configurations studied or used nowadays for the treatment of polluted air, i.e. biofilters, one‐ and two‐liquid phase biotrickling filters, bioscrubbers, membrane bioreactors, rotating biodiscs and biodrums, one‐ and two‐liquid phase suspended growth bioreactors, as well as hybrid reactor configurations. Some of these bioreactors are being used at full‐scale for solving air pollution problems, while others are still at the research and development stage at laboratory‐ or pilot‐scale. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry