Biotreatment of a gas-phase volatile mixture from fibreglass and composite manufacturing industries

Acetone, toluene and styrene (ATS) are representative air pollutants emanating during the production process in fibreglass and composite manufacturing industries. In this study, the performance of a steady-state biofilter inoculated with the fungus Sporothrix variecibatus was tested at different empty bed residence times (EBRTs), and at different inlet concentrations of ATS, corresponding to total pollutant loading rates ranging from 30 to 490 g m−3 hour−1. Styrene was somewhat better removed (47–100%) in the biofilter than acetone (34–100%) and toluene (42–100%), with maximum elimination capacities (ECmax) of 108, 72 and 144 g m−3 hour−1, for ATS, respectively. Besides, it was observed that, although increasing the concentration of ATS decreased their removal, the presence of toluene also decreased the ECmax of both acetone and toluene in the ternary mixture. During transient operations, the biofilter was subjected to intermittent shutdown and re-start operations where the gas-phase pollutant flow was stopped for either 5 or 16 d. It was observed that, for longer shutdown periods (16 d), the biofilter required nearly 8–10 d to reach similar removal patterns to those observed before the shutdown phase. Batch biodegradation tests were conducted, using Sporothrix-like microorganisms present in the leachate of the biofilter, with a mixture of ATS as the sole carbon source. Complete removal of ATS was observed within the test period of 168 hours. Styrene was degraded faster, with a specific substrate utilization rate of 0.9 mg styrene mg biomass−1 hour−1, followed by toluene (0.6) and acetone (0.44). The effectiveness of the biofilter to reach high total EC (321.3 g m−3 hour−1), and withstand transient operations shows the robustness of this fungal-bioreactor and its suitability to handle emissions from a fibreglass and composite manufacturing industry.