Low Cost Biofilter Construction/ Evaluation
Thursday, January 31, 2002By Various (see paper) - Biofiltration is an air pollution control technology adapted from naturally occurring processes, which use microorganisms to oxidize volatile organic compounds.
A barn biofilter consists of a bed of material with a large surface
area, for example a mixture of coarse wood chips and fine materials, such as
compost. As the barn air moves through the biofilter, and thus, the living
ecosystem of bacteria and fungi that live on the biofilter's media surface, the
low concentrations of organic compounds that create the odours are removed.
Up to 90% of barn odour can be removed from the exhaust air by biofiltration.
Three biofilter projects, designed and constructed by Alberta Agriculture, are
underway in Alberta:
At each of these projects, odour concentration before and after filtration is being
monitored. The data are being analyzed by the University of Alberta
olfactometry lab.
The expectation is that the results will lead to a better
understanding of biofilter characteristics under Alberta conditions, design
guideline development and a database of performance criteria that can be used
to assess biofilter technology as applied to the minimum separation.
Implications
The expected results from this project will be biofilter design and construction
information for Alberta. When siting new or expanding operations and
calculating the MDS, the effects of reducing MDS by using biofilters can be
quantified.
To read the pdf version of this paper Click Here (1 page pdf file, opens in new browser)
Source: Paper presented at the Banff Pork Seminar - January 2002
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