Introduction to New Technologies for Treating Volatile Organic Compounds – Biological Methods

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The biological method refers to the use of microorganisms to absorb and decompose organic waste gases containing ‘triphenyl’ groups. It is an emerging technology that takes advantage of the ability of microbial strains to absorb organic waste gases as nutrients during their growth and reproduction process, thereby breaking down the harmful components in these gases into carbon dioxide, water, and substances that make up cells, and thus achieving the purpose of treating waste gases. This method is applicable over a wide range of concentrations, requires low investment, is simple to operate and maintain, causes no secondary pollution. Moreover, the longer it operates, the more adapted the microorganisms become to the waste gas, resulting in better and more stable treatment effects. The key to this method is selecting and cultivating efficient and suitable microbial strains. The core of the biological treatment process for organic waste gases containing ‘triphenyl’ compounds is the biofilm. The basic principle involves using microbial cultivation techniques to develop various special microbial strains through processes of cultivation, acclimatization, and enrichment; these microbial strains are then inoculated on the surface of porous fillers to form a biofilm layer. When exhaust gas containing various volatile organic compounds flows through a packed tower, due to diffusion, the pollutants in the exhaust gas are transferred to the biofilm ； Under suitable environmental conditions, this biofilm grows and reproduces through biochemical reactions mediated by microbial enzymes; it uses the organic components in waste gas as nutrients and breaks them down into carbon dioxide, water, and substances that make up the cells, thereby achieving the purpose of purifying the waste gas. The application of biological treatment technology for the purification of organic waste gases is a relatively new approach that has only emerged in recent years; it is an emerging technology. Common biological treatment processes include biological filtration, biological trickling filter, biological washing, membrane bioreactors, and rotating disk biological filter reactors. The biofilm method utilizes the metabolic processes of microorganisms to biodegrade various organic substances and certain inorganic substances, producing CO2 and H2O, thereby effectively removing pollutants from industrial exhaust gases. This method has advantages such as simple equipment, low operation and maintenance costs, and no secondary pollution. However, for exhaust gases with complex compositions or VOCs that are difficult to degrade, the removal efficiency is poor; moreover, due to the large volume and long residence time, the effectiveness of degrading organic exhaust gases varies depending on the type of filler used.