Abstract

We present a mathematical model and simulation of a film biofilter for the treatment of gaseous effluents, using the MathCad Plus 6.0 program. The contaminant mixture included aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene, dissolved in air. We applied the model through the film biofilter to the gaseous, liquid and biofilm phases. We established the flow of liquid required to maintain optimum temperature conditions in the bioreactor; the model also takes into consideration the metabolic heat generated by the microorganisms present in the bioreactor and the temperature of the gas used. The operational flow of gas and liquid at various concentrations and the breakdown of the contaminant through the bioreactor were established, as well as the loss of concentration at those flow rates. It can be concluded that pollutant removal efficiency was strongly influenced by its concentration in the gas flow for each specific column height.