Effects of Packing Material Type on n-Pentane/Biomass Partition Coefficient for Use in Fungal Biofilters
Effects of Packing Material Type on n-Pentane/Biomass Partition Coefficient for Use in Fungal Biofilters
Authors
Vergara Fernández, Alberto
Soto Sánchez, Óscar
Vásquez, J.
Soto Sánchez, Óscar
Vásquez, J.
Authors
Date
Datos de publicación:
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly, Vol. 25, N° 4, 439-444, 2011
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Abstract
The partition coefficient between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biomass is one of the most representative parameters in hydrophobic VOCs biofiltration. In this study, the n-pentane/dry-biomass partition coefficient (K-P/B(D)) was determined in microcosms for the filamentous fungus Fusarium solani, it was grown in four packing materials (compost, peat, perlite and vermiculite) at different temperatures (15 degrees C, 25 degrees C and 35 degrees C). The results show that the n-pentane/wet-biomass partition coefficients (K-P/B(W)) for all experiments in organic packing material were on average 160-fold lower (0.21 +/- 0.09) than those in water (33.2 +/- 9.4), while for inorganic packing material on average 700-fold lower (0.05 +/- 0.04). On the other hand, it was observed that the K-P/B(W) for the fungus grown in an inorganic packing material was on average 4-fold lower than when grown in organic packing material. In conclusion, the use of inorganic packing material increases the solubility (lower K-P/B(W)) of n-pentane, increasing the elimination capacity in fungal biofilter.