• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2009

Biofilters use porous solid media to support microorganisms and allow access to the contaminants in the airflow. The characteristics of media used in biofilters vary greatly, and therefore it is important to select the appropriate media in order to obtain a large enough surface attachment area and uniform pore. This study was performed to compare hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) removal efficiencies of three biofilter media; coconut fiber, ceramic, and polyurethane. The biofilter packed with coconut fiber showed stable removal activity when inlet loading was changeable, and was restored rapidly when the moisture content decreased. However, the coconut fiber suffered from low durability. To cope with this problem a media of fibrinous polypropylene was developed to strengthen the durability of the coconut fiber. Biofilter column experiments using the fibrinous polypropylene media demonstrated over 99% of removal efficiencies at pH as low as 3 and 6 seconds of EBRT (empty bed gas residence time). Due to its superior physical characteristics, it is expected that the $H_2S$ treatment performance will increase when the new fibrinous polypropylne media is applied in commercial biofilter systems.