Biofilter Treating Ammonia Gas Using Agricultural Residues Media

Problem statement: Agricultural residues such as manure and sugarcane bagasse are wastes from agro-industry which has low value and requires some sustainable waste management method. In this research, a mixture of manure fertilizer and sugarcane bagasse is used as a biofilter media for an ammonia gas removal application. The aim of this research is to study the ammonia gas removal efficiency of such media. Approach: The experiments were conducted in laboratory-scale biofilters. Two inlet ammonia gas concentrations were used which are 500 and 1,000 ppm. Three ratios of manure fertilizer and sugarcane bagasse were studied including 1:3, 1:5 and 1:7 by volume. All experiments were conducted for a period of 40 days. Two Empty Bed Retention Time (EBRT) of these experiments were used which is 39s and 78s. The moisture content of the biofilter media was maintained at 45-60% by adding water. Results: The maximum ammonia gas removal efficiency at 89.93% is observed from the following conditions: 500 ppm of the inlet ammonia gas concentration, the manure fertilizer and sugarcane bagasse mixture ratio of 1:5 and the EBRT of 78s. The important factors of the ammonia gas removal in biofiltration process are the inlet ammonia gas concentration and the EBRT. Conclusion: The experimental results showed that the mixture of manure fertilizer and sugarcane bagasse is an effective biofilter media for ammonia gas removal applications. However, the biofilter is more effective at low inlet ammonia gas concentration, while the ratio of manure fertilizer and sugarcane bagasse has no significant effect on the ammonia gas removal efficiency. Therefore, using both residues as biofilter media for ammonia gas removal application is an alternative sustainable way to such manage argo-industry waste.