Development of Novel Combined Treatment Technologies for Decontaminating Polluted Air

[0229135] Sorial 1990年《清洁空气法》修正案的通过大大提高了人们对开发创新技术以解决当前污染问题和防止新污染问题的兴趣。这项研究将侧重于开发一种适用于任何特定污染物或污染物混合物的联合处理方案（PSA/TBAB）。在工业操作的不利条件下，提出了一种变压吸附（PSA）装置，然后是涓滴床空气生物过滤器（TBAB）装置，以产生符合排放法规的流出流。本研究的目的是：1)研究污染物浓度波动、不使用时间和污染物变化对TBAB性能的影响；2)研究不同类型吸附剂对所关注污染物的单溶质和竞争平衡吸附机理；3)研究PSA装置的操作加压和减压循环，这将使生物过滤器产生恒定的负荷条件，并将提供99%以上的污染物去除率。PSA单元可用于多种目的，如吸附和解吸的周期性循环，以抑制污染物浓度波动对生物过滤器的影响；或作为一个吸附循环，仅在生物过滤器关闭时去除污染物；或者一个解吸循环，只在周末或节假日等关闭期间充当生物过滤器的污染物饲料。PSA/TBAB联合技术的发展将对化学工业产生重大影响，因为化学工业的废气处理是符合《清洁空气法》的必要条件。预计通过提高生物过滤工艺的性能，将大大降低污水处理成本。此外，本研究获得的结果将通过在国家和国际会议上的演讲和在同行评议的期刊上发表来传播，以加强对联合计划的科学和技术理解。本研究的联合治疗技术为本科生和研究生提供了极好的案例研究。在实验室中获得的研究经验将通过开发基于发现的教学模块复制到课堂上，因此所有学生都可以分享这些经验。基于问题的学习、本科研究和基于研究的教育将帮助学生培养批判性思维、解决问题的能力、团队合作能力和沟通能力。

0229135 Sorial The passage of the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act significantly heightened the interest in the development of innovative technologies for solving current pollution problems and preventing new ones. This study will focus on development of a combined treatment scheme (PSA/TBAB) that is adaptable to any particular contaminant or mixture of contaminants. A pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit followed by a trickle bed air biofilter (TBAB) unit is proposed for yielding an effluent stream complying with emission regulations during adverse conditions of industrial operations. The objectives of this research study are: 1) to study the influence of fluctuating contaminant concentration, periods of non-use, and change of contaminant on the performance of the TBAB; 2) to investigate the mechanism of single solute and competitive equilibrium adsorption on different types of adsorbents for the contaminants of concern; and 3) to investigate the operating pressurization, and de-pressurization cycles for the PSA unit that will yield constant loading conditions on the biofilter and will provide contaminant removal above 99%. The PSA unit can serve a number of purposes, such as periodic cycles of adsorption and desorption, to dampen the impact of fluctuating contaminant concentration to the biofilter; or as an adsorption cycle only for a contaminant removal during off-times of the biofilter; or a desorption cycle only to act as a contaminant feed to the biofilter during shut down periods such as weekends or holidays.The development of a combined PSA/TBAB technology will be of significant benefit to the chemical industry where off-gas treatment is necessary for complying with the Clean Air Act. It is anticipated that effluent treatment cost will be significantly reduced by enhancing the performance of the biofiltration process. Furthermore, the results obtained in this study will be disseminated by presentations at national and international conferences and by publication in peer refereed journals for enhancing scientific and technological understanding of the combinedscheme.The combined treatment technology of this research provides excellent case studies for both the undergraduate and graduate classes. Research experience gained in the laboratory will be replicated in the classroom by developing discovery-based teaching modules, so the experience can be shared by all of the students. Problem-based learning, undergraduate research and research-based education will help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills.