NO(x) removal from simulated flue gas by chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated approach in a biofilter.

A chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated approach, which combines the advantages of both the chemical and biological technologies, is employed to achieve the removal of nitrogen monoxide (NO) from the simulated flue gas. The biological reduction of NO to nitrogen gas (N2) and regeneration of the absorbent Fe(II)EDTA (EDTA:ethylenediaminetetraacetate) take place under thermophilic conditions (50 +/- 0.5 degrees C). The performance of a laboratory-scale biofilter was investigated for treating NO(x) gas in this study. Shock loading studies were performed to ascertain the response of the biofilter to fluctuations of inlet loading rates (0.48 approximately 28.68 g NO m(-3) h(-1)). A maximum elimination capacity (18.78 g NO m(-3) h(-1)) was achieved at a loading rate of 28.68 g NO m(-3) h(-1) and maintained 5 h operation at the steady state. Additionally, the effect of certain gaseous compounds (e.g., O2 and SO2) on the NO removal was also investigated. A mathematical model was developed to describe the system performance. The model has been able to predict experimental results for different inlet NO concentrations. In summary, both theoretical prediction and experimental investigation confirm that biofilter can achieve high removal rate for NO in high inlet concentrations under both steady and transient states.