The Performance of Compost Biofilter for Hydrogen Sulfide Removal from Contaminated Air

In order to evaluate the performance of biofilter for H2S removal from contaminated air, a 120×14 cm column biofilter was constructed using clear polyacrylic material in conjunction with H2S production and control systems. The column was divided into four stages using perforated plates. The column was packed with a mixture of mushroom compost and snail shell (4:1). The performance of biofilter was evaluated during 4 months of operation under various flow rates and H2S concentrations in ambient temperature. According to the results, the removal effeciency of H2S in polluted air for concentrations of up to 150 ppm, average temperature of 26.9°C and under flow rates of 6 and 12 l.min-1 was more than 95% the results for average temperature of 20.5°C and the flow rates of 19.5 and 26 l.min-1 but constant H2S concentration was more than 85%. The maximum removal rate (Vm) was measured as 0.075 g S/kg-dry compost.h and average saturation constant (Ks) was 32.5 ppm