Steady-state operation of a biofilter coupled with photocatalytic control of bacterial bioaerosol emissions
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Steady-state operation of a biofilter coupled with photocatalytic control of bacterial bioaerosol emissions Mariana Valdez-Castillo 1 & José Octavio Saucedo-Lucero 2 & Karla Lizeth Villalobos-Romero 1 & Fátima Pérez-Rodriguez 1 & Sonia Arriaga 1 Received: 27 July 2020 / Accepted: 6 November 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Bioaerosols are emitted during the biological treatment of water, soil, and air pollutants. The elimination of these pollutants has become a priority due to their detrimental effects on human health. Advanced oxidation technologies have been used to control bioaerosol emissions specially to improve indoor air quality. This investigation was focused on evaluating the biofiltration of ethyl acetate vapors in terms of removal efficiency and bioaerosol emission. Also, a continuous photocatalytic process to inactivate bioaerosols emitted from the biofilter was assessed as a post-treatment. The photocatalysis was developed with ZnO and TiO2 immobilized onto Poraver glass beads. Flow cytometry (FC) coupled with fluorochromes was used to characterize and quantify bioaerosol emissions in terms of live, dead, and injured cells. Ethyl acetate removal efficiencies were maintained in a steady state with values of 100% under 60-g m−3 h−1 inlet load (IL). Biomass concentration in the biofilter reached values up to 228 mgbiomass gperlite−1 at day 56 of operation, but the spontaneous occurrence of predatory mites diminished biomass concentration by 33%. Bioaerosols emitted during the steady-state operation of the biofilter were composed mainly by bacteria (~ 94%) and in a less extent of fungal spores (0.29–6%). The most efficient photocatalytic system comprised TiO2/Poraver with 78% inactivation of bioaerosols during the first 2 h of the process, whereas the ZnO/Poraver system showed null activity (~ 0%) of inactivation. FC results show that the main mechanism of inactivation of TiO2/Poraver was cell death. Keywords Biofilter performance . Mites . Bacterial bioaerosol . Flow cytometry . Photocatalysis
Introduction Ethyl acetate (EA) is a high-priority toxic volatile organic compound widely used in the chemical industry. Large volumes of EA are released into the atmosphere during manufacturing processes, reducing the air quality and generating a public health concern. The use of biological treatment systems such as biofilters offers a cost-efficient and potentially environmentally friendly alternative Responsible Editor: Sami Rtimi * Sonia Arriaga [email protected] 1
División de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICyT), Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Lomas 4a Sección, 78216 San Luis Potosí, Mexico
2
Centro de Innovación Aplicada en Tecnologías Competitivas, CIATEC AC, Omega no. 201 Col. Industrial Delta, 37545 León, Gto, Mexico
instead of traditional physicochemical air treatment technologies. This is due to biofilters’ low energy requirement, relatively low construction cost, and capacity to tr
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