TECHNICAL PAPER
60:830 837
Gas Dispersion and Immobile Gas Volume in Solid and
Porous Particle Biofilter Materials at Low Air Flow Velocities
Prabhakar Sharma and Tjalfe G. Poulsen
Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Environmental Engineering, Section for
Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
ABSTRACT
Gas-phase dispersion in granular biofilter materials with a
wide range of particle sizes was investigated using atmo-
spheric air and nitrogen as tracer gases. Two types of
materials were used: (1) light extended clay aggregates
(LECA), consisting of highly porous particles, and (2)
gravel, consisting of solid particles. LECA is a commercial
material that is used for insulation, as a soil conditioner,
and as a carrier material in biofilters for air cleaning. These
two materials were selected to have approximately the
same particle shape. Column gas transport experiments
were conducted for both materials using different mean
particle diameters, different particle size ranges, and dif-
ferent gas flow velocities. Measured breakthrough curves
were modeled using the advection-dispersion equation
modified for mass transfer between mobile and immobile
gas phases. The results showed that gas dispersivity in-
creased with increasing mean particle diameter for LECA
but was independent of mean particle diameter for gravel.
Gas dispersivity also increased with increasing particle
size range for both media. Dispersivities in LECA were
generally higher than for gravel. The mobile gas content
in both materials increased with increasing gas flow ve-
locity but it did not show any strong dependency on
mean particle diameter or particle size range. The relative
fraction of mobile gas compared with total porosity was
highest for gravel and lowest for LECA likely because of its
high internal porosity.
IMPLICATIONS
This study showed that improved mixing and thereby im-
proved distribution of gaseous contaminants in biofilters for
gas cleaning can be achieved by using biofilter carrier
materials consisting of particles with a wide range of par-
ticle sizes and high surface roughness rather than smooth
particles of uniform diameter. However, the relative fraction
of immobile gas volume (inactive volume) in the biofilter did
not depend on material properties but increased with de-
creasing gas flow velocity, meaning that the most effective
utilization of the biofilter volume is achieved at high gas
flows. It is noted that the use of materials with a wider
particle size distribution and high gas flows can produce
increased pressure drop across the filter, thus increasing
operation costs. Thus, knowledge about the relationship
between pressure drop, particle size distribution, and gas
flow is needed to identify optimal operation conditions.
830 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
ISSN:1047-3289 J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc.
DOI:10.3155/1047-3289.60.7.830
Copyright 2010 Air & Waste Management Association
INTRODUCTION
Movement of gaseous compounds in biofilters is con-
trolled by advection caused by pressure gradients, by mo-
lecular diffusion caused by concentration gradients, and
by mechanical dispersion caused by differences in gas
flow velocities and turbulence at the pore scale. All of
these processes are in turn strongly dependent on the
quantity and distribution of the gas-filled pores in which
gas transport takes place. The fraction of the pore space in
which gas flow occurs, the mobile pore space, is a func-
tion of the total gas-filled porosity, filter material pore size
distribution, pore connectivity, and water content. This is
the case for materials consisting of nonporous particles
such as sand and gravel1 4 and materials that consist of
porous particles.513 In granular porous media, the gas-
filled pore size distribution is strongly dependent on po-
rous media particle size distribution. Particle size distribu-
tion is further much simpler to measure than gas-filled
pore size distribution and is therefore most often used to
characterize nonaggregated porous media. Knowledge
about the mobile pore space is important to assess how
large a fraction of the filter material is participating in
cleaning of the gas stream passing through the filter,
whereas knowledge about gas dispersion is necessary to
assess how well the gas phase is mixed and distributed
while passing through the filter.
Gas advective flow in porous materials has been stud-
ied extensively and is well documented in the litera-
ture.14 19 The transfer of gases between mobile and im-
mobile gas-filled pores occur via molecular gas diffusion.
The gas diffusion has been determined experimentally
and by modeling studies.1524 A relatively extensive vol-
ume of literature is available with respect to gas diffusion
in porous materials. However, the impact of particle and
pore size distribution on mechanical dispersion has not
yet been investigated to the same degree as the previous
processes. It has been observed that mechanical disper-
sion dominates over molecular diffusion for higher gas
flow velocities through porous materials.2528 Gidda et
al.27 also suggest that the gas dispersivity increases for
materials with a wider particle size distribution. Apart
from these studies, research focusing on the relationship
between mechanical gas dispersion and porous medium
physical properties is limited. Knowledge of immobile gas
volume in biofilter material as related to material physical
properties and gas flow rate is also very limited. Sharma
and Poulsen28 used measurements of gaseous oxygen up-
take to determine the fraction of immobile gas volume in
Volume 60 July 2010

compost as a function of compost water content and
oxygen gas flow velocity. The results indicated that the
fraction of immobile gas volume decreased with increas-
ing velocity and increased with increasing water content.
Effects of particle size distribution were not addressed.
Moldrup et al.23 determined immobile gas volume in soil
on the basis of measurements of gas diffusion at zero gas
flow velocity and developed a model linking these two
parameters. Again relationships between immobile gas
volume with particle size and gas velocity were not inves-
tigated. Apart from these studies, the authors are not
aware of any publications that have addressed this issue.
Mechanical gas dispersion is most important at low
gas flow velocities, whereas in biofilters with high gas
flow, transport is dominated by gas advection. Molecular
gas diffusion is typically only important if no gas flow
takes place. Low-flow biofilters are typically used in con-
nection with control of methane emissions from landfills
(so-called biocovers), remediation of soil containing vol-
atile contaminants using barometric pumping, and bio-
filters for gas streams containing compounds that are
difficult to remove.
The main objective of this study was to investigate
the immobile gas volume fraction and mechanical gas
dispersion as related to the particle size distribution of
granular biofilter materials. Two main types of materials
were used in the investigation: (1) a natural gravel with no
internal porosity (single-porosity material), and (2) a com-
mercially available material (light extended clay aggre-
gates [LECA]) consisting of particles with a large internal
porosity (dual-porosity material). The two types of media
were chosen so as to have similar particle size distribu-
tions and particle shapes to identify the effect of particle
size distribution and dual porosity versus single porosity
on immobile gas volumetric fraction and mechanical gas
dispersion. Investigations were done using relatively low
gas flows corresponding to those observed in landfill bio-
covers or systems for volatile contaminants extracted dur-
ing soil remediation based on barometric pressure pump-
ing. Because the focus of this work was on the physical
properties of the biofilter materials, dry materials were
used in the investigations. Atmospheric air and pure ni-
trogen were used as tracer gases in the experiments be-
cause they are safe to use and easy to detect.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Two different porous media, LECA (produced by Maxit
A/S) and gravel (supplied by Dansand A/S), were used as
experimental porous media. LECA is commonly used as
an insulation material but is also applied as soil condi-
tioner and biofilter material. It consists of roundish aggre-
gates that have very high internal porosity. The interior of
the aggregates has a foam-like structure and internal pores
cover a relatively wide range (from a few micrometers to
several millimeters in diameter) even within a single ag-
gregate. The largest internal pores typically have diame-
ters of approximately 10 20% of the aggregate diameter;
thus, the larger the aggregate, the larger the internal
pores. Most of the internal porosity consists of these large
pores. Measurement of the precise pore sizes (e.g., by
water or mercury retention) is very difficult because a
Volume 60 July 2010
Sharma and Poulsen
relatively large fraction of the internal pores are not con-
nected with other pores. Experiments performed by the
supplier indicate that LECA aggregates can be submerged
in water for several years and still contain air-filled pores.
The surface of the aggregates is relatively smooth for the
smaller sizes (2 6 mm) such that the interior pore struc-
ture is not directly exposed. For the larger aggregates,
small pits that expose the interior pore structure in places
perforate the surface. This gives the surface of the larger
aggregates a rougher appearance. Also the smaller aggre-
gates are almost spherical in shape, whereas the larger
aggregates are more irregularly shaped. This likely means
that the surface of the larger aggregates is generally
rougher and will present more resistance to air flowing
past the surface compared with the smaller aggregates.
The gravel, which was washed and presorted by the sup-
plier, was selected to have a particle shape that was similar
to the LECA. The gravel consisted mainly of quartz and
flint particles with no internal porosity.
LECA with particle sizes ranging from 2 to 20 mm
and gravel with sizes from 2 to 16 mm were acquired from
the suppliers. Both materials were initially sieved into
fractions with 2-mm particle size intervals (e.g., 2 4 mm,
4 6 mm, etc.) (Table 1). Combining the 2-mm size frac-
tions produced additional particle size fractions with
larger particle size ranges (Table 1). These fractions were
produced using equal masses of each 2-mm particle size
fraction used to achieve a uniform particle size distribu-
tion for all fractions used. A total of 28 particle size frac-
tions for LECA and 23 for gravel were produced (Table 1).
The dry porous media were packed into 103-cm long,
14-cm inner diameter acrylic columns. Packing was done
in 10 portions per column to improve material homoge-
neity.29 Two columns were prepared for each of the 51 dry
particle size fractions discussed previously. The bulk den-
sity of the materials was determined by weighing the
contents of each column, and total porosity (total) was
calculated from bulk density assuming a solid density of
2.65 g cm3. Internal porosity was determined by mea-
suring weight and volume of randomly selected particles
of LECA from each of the 2-mm fractions. Internal poros-
ity for the remaining fractions was calculated based on
these data. The characteristics of the packed biofilter ma-
terials are shown in Table 1. The columns were covered
with an airtight polyethylene lid at both ends. The outlet
lid was fitted with an oxygen sensor (KE-12 oxygen elec-
trode, generating station Yuasa Power Supply Ltd., Japan)
connected to a data logger (CR-1000, Campwell Scien-
tific). Details of the experimental setup can be found in
Poulsen et al.29 and Sharma et al.30 Breakthrough curves
for nitrogen replacing atmospheric air and atmospheric
air replacing nitrogen were measured for gas flow rates of
0.2, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 L min1, corresponding to empty-
bed retention times of 79, 32, 16, 11, and 8 min and
superficial (Darcy) velocities of 4.5, 11.3, 22.7, 34.1, and
45.5 cm min1, respectively. A total of 510 breakthrough
curves were measured. Columns were initially saturated
with atmospheric air until steady-state concentration was
reached, then switched to nitrogen until steady state,
after which the inflow gas was switched back to air. This
procedure was repeated for each of the five flow rates in all
columns.
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 831
Sharma and Poulsen

Table 1. Properties of porous media fractions used in gas dispersion column experiments and calculated diffusion coefficients for the fractions.

LECA Gravel

Size Range (mm) Bulk Density (g cm3) Total Porosity () Internal Porosity () Bulk Density (g cm3) Total Porosity ()

24 0.309 0.88 0.27 1.55 0.42

46 0.322 0.88 0.39 1.54 0.42
68 0.296 0.89 0.38 1.54 0.42
810 0.281 0.89 0.39 1.55 0.41
1012 0.244 0.91 0.38 1.55 0.41
1214 0.237 0.91 0.41 1.55 0.41
1416 0.235 0.91 0.42
26 0.326 0.88 0.33 1.54 0.42
48 0.327 0.88 0.38 1.53 0.42
610 0.291 0.89 0.38 1.54 0.42
812 0.266 0.90 0.38 1.56 0.41
1014 0.242 0.91 0.40 1.55 0.42
1216 0.236 0.91 0.41
28 0.332 0.87 0.35 1.56 0.41
410 0.320 0.88 0.39 1.54 0.42
612 0.297 0.89 0.38 1.55 0.42
814 0.260 0.90 0.39 1.56 0.41
1016 0.242 0.91 0.40
210 0.329 0.88 0.36 1.59 0.40
412 0.317 0.88 0.38 1.58 0.41
614 0.276 0.90 0.39 1.56 0.41
816 0.252 0.91 0.40
212 0.319 0.88 0.36 1.58 0.40
414 0.297 0.89 0.39 1.59 0.40
616 0.268 0.90 0.39
214 0.307 0.88 0.37 1.61 0.39
416 0.289 0.89 0.39 1.60 0.40
216 0.305 0.88 0.38 1.64 0.38

MODELING C m 2Cm Cm
Oxygen breakthrough curves, obtained from LECA and D 2 v Cim Cm (1)
t x x
gravel-filled columns, were modeled using the advection-
dispersion equation assuming the presence of a mobile
where Cm and Cim are the oxygen concentration in the
and immobile gas phase in the porous media. This ap-
mobile and immobile gas phases, D is the dispersion/
proach was chosen because breakthrough curves showed
diffusion coefficient, v is the pore gas velocity in the
higher pore gas velocity than what would be expected
mobile gas phase, is the oxygen mass transfer coeffi-
based on the gas inflow rate and the total gas-filled po-
cient, and x and t are space and time variables. The dis-
rosity of the porous medium, meaning that gas flow only
persion/diffusion coefficient was determined as
occurred in part of the gas-filled pore space. Breakthrough
curves also showed tailing, another indication of the pres-
ence of an immobile gas phase. Oxygen mass transfer was D D diff (2)
modeled as being proportional to the difference in oxy-
gen concentrations between phases. The differential where Ddiff is the molecular diffusion coefficient and is
equation governing gas transport through material in- the gas dispersivity in the mobile gas phase. The immo-
cluding mobile and immobile gas is bile gas phase oxygen concentrations was modeled as
Oxygen concentration (%)

20
(a) (b)
15

Flow rate Flow rate

10
(L min-1) (L min-1)
0.5 0.5
5 1.0 1.0
2.0 2.0
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (min) Time (min)
Figure 1. Measured and fitted oxygen breakthrough curves for (a) 8- to 12-mm LECA and (b) 8- to 12-mm gravel for gas flow rates of 0.5, 1,
and 2 L min1. The symbols denote the measured values and the line denotes the fitted breakthrough curves.

832 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association Volume 60 July 2010
 Sharma and Poulsen

5
( a) (mm) (b ) dm (mm)
2 6 10 5 9 13

Dispersivity, (cm)
4 4 8 12 7 11

0
5 (mm) dm (mm)
(c) (d)
2 6 10 5 9
Dispersivity, (cm)
4 4 8 12 7 11

0
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Mean diameter, dm (mm) Particle size range, (mm)
Figure 2. Gas dispersivity in (a) LECA as a function of mean particle diameter (dm) for different values of particle size range (), (b) LECA as
a function of for different dm, (c) gravel as a function of dm for different , and (d) gravel as a function of for different dm.

C im m scheme is applied to remove the errors.31 In this case, a

Cim Cm (3) numerical correction scheme was applied to remove the
t im
second-order numerical errors. A time step of 23 sec and
a spatial step of 2 cm were used. Values of the constant
where m and im are the mobile and immobile volumet-
ric gas contents, respectively. The immobile gas content parameters, D, , and m and the variable Cim were esti-
and the pore gas velocity were calculated as mated for each experiment by fitting the numerical
model to the measured breakthrough curves using a least-
squares technique. Sensitivity analyses carried out for
im total m (4)
each of the four parameters showed that the model results
were most sensitive to D and m, whereas the sensitivity
q to and Cim was relatively low. This is likely because the
(5)
Am amount of immobile gas in the porous media is relatively
low. It also means that the important parameters D and
where q is the applied gas flow, A is the column cross- m are most accurately estimated. The fitting was done
sectional area, and total is the total gas-filled porosity. using an iterative procedure based on Newtons method.
Equations 15 were solved in Microsoft Excel using an An initial guess for the parameter values is sequentially
explicit forward time and backward space finite difference updated using Newtons method and eqs 15 solved re-
scheme. This type of numerical solution is prone to nu- peatedly for each updated set of parameter values until
merical dispersion (second-order numerical errors) and is convergence has occurred. The procedure was carried out
only accurate if the values of the space and time steps are using the Excel Solver function. Because the resulting
controlled during simulation or if a numerical correction values of the fitting parameters can depend on the initial

14
(a) (b)
13 (cm)
Particle size range, (mm)

12
2.7
11
2.4
10
2.1
9
1.8
8
1.5
7 1.2
6 0.9
5 0.6
4 0.3
3
2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Mean diameter, d m (mm) Mean diameter, d m (mm)

Figure 3. Contour plot of gas dispersivity () as a function of mean particle diameter (dm) and particle size range () for (a) LECA and (b) gravel.
Symbols () indicate observed data.

Volume 60 July 2010 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 833
Sharma and Poulsen

2.0 (mm) dm (mm)

(a) (b)
2 6 10 14 3 7 11

LECA gravel (cm)

1.5
4 8 12 5 9 13
1.0
0.5
0.0
-0.5
-1.0
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Mean diameter, dm (mm) Particle size range, (mm)
Figure 4. Difference in LECA and gravel gas dispersivity (LECA gravel) as a function of (a) mean particle diameter (dm) for different particle
size ranges () and (b) as a function of for different dm.

guess, several initial guesses for the four parameter values RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
were used to check that consistent estimates of the fitting Figure 1 shows measured and fitted breakthrough curves
parameters were achieved via the modeling. The gas dis- for the 8- to 12-mm fraction of LECA and gravel for gas
persivity () was determined as the slope of the best-fit flows of 0.5, 1, and 2 L min1. In all cases, it is seen that
line between the dispersion coefficient and the pore gas it is possible to achieve a very close fit to the measured
velocity according to eq 2. Comparison of gas dispersivity data. This was the case for almost all of the 510 break-
values for LECA and gravel were done using the paired t through curves. Figure 2 shows the relationships between
test for comparison of two means. The test was carried out , mean particle diameter (dm), and the width of the
using the statistical tools in Microsoft Excel. particle size range () for LECA and gravel. For LECA,

m
6
(a)
10
(b) (cm cm-1)
Particle size range, (mm)

5.5 9 0.81
5 8 0.77
4.5 7 0.73

4 6 0.69
0.65
3.5 5
0.61
3 4
0.57
2.5 3 0.53
2 2
14 10
(c) (d)
Particle size range, (mm)

9 0.81
12
8 0.77
10
7 0.73

8 6 0.69
0.65
5
6 0.61
4
0.57
4
3 0.53
2 2
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Gas flow rate, q (L min-1) Gas flow rate, q (L min-1 )
0.9
(e)
Mobile gas content

0.8
m (cm cm-1 )

0.7

0.6

0.5 q=2.0
q=0.2
0.4
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Mean diameter, dm (mm)

Figure 5. Contour plot of mobile gas content (m) as a function of gas flow rate (q) and particle size range () for LECA at different mean particle
diameters (dm): (a) 5 mm, (b) 7 mm, (c) 9 mm, and (d) 11 mm. Symbols () indicate observed data. (e) Overall mobile gas content for LECA
as a function of dm for selected flow rates.

834 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association Volume 60 July 2010
 Sharma and Poulsen

generally increases with increasing dm for particle size to increase the tortuosity of the gas-filled pore network
fractions with a range of 8 mm or less (Figure 2a). For the and thereby the dispersivity. For LECA, is (as discussed
fractions with a larger particle size range, it is difficult to earlier) also affected by the internal porosity and surface
judge the relationship because of the limited data. For the roughness of the large particles, which probably masks
gravel, is fairly independent of dm for all particle size the relationship between and for this material. The
fractions investigated (Figure 2c). The increase in for relationship between and in gravel is almost linear
LECA could be explained by the fact that its surface and it seems that the same relationship covers all particle
roughness increases with particle size. Also, the size of the size ranges (Figure 2d). Increasing gas dispersivity with
internal pores in LECA is generally larger for the larger increasing width of the particle size distribution was also
particles. Both may add to the turbulence and mixing of reported for soils by Gidda et al.27
gas in and near the LECA particles, adding to the mechan-
Figure 3 shows the combined effect of dm and on
ical dispersion and dispersivity for the fractions with
for LECA (Figure 3a) and gravel (Figure 3b). Again it is
larger particle sizes. For the fractions with wider particle
seen that although tends to increase for LECA with
size ranges, the effect is less prominent because they also
contain many small particles, which reduces the effect. increasing values of dm and , this is not the case for the
The reason why for the gravel does not change much gravel, in which only increases with increasing but is
with particle diameter (Figure 2c) is the relatively smooth independent of dm. As discussed earlier, this is likely be-
particle surface, which has the same roughness on all cause of increasing tortuosity, internal pore size, and sur-
particles regardless of particle size, and the lack of internal face roughness at higher dm and for LECA and increas-
pores. Gas dispersivity increases with increasing particle ing tortuosity at higher for gravel. The results in Figures
size range () for the gravel, whereas for the LECA the 2 and 3 show that to improve gas mixing within a biofilter
tendency is less consistent (Figure 2, b and d). The in- using a filter material consisting of particles with a wide
crease observed in the gravel is likely occurring because range of diameters is desirable. If the material is LECA,
increasing the width of the particle size distribution tends mixing can be improved by using larger particles.

m
6 10
(a) (b) (cm cm-1)
Particle size range, (mm)

5.5 9
0.4
5 8 0.38
4.5 7 0.36
0.34
4 6
0.32
3.5 5 0.3
3 4 0.28
0.26
2.5 3 0.24
2
14 6
(c) (d)
Particle size range, (mm)

5.5
12 0.4
5 0.38
10
4.5 0.36
0.34
8 4
0.32
3.5 0.3
6
3 0.28
4 0.26
2.5 0.24
2 2
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Gas flow rate, q (L min-1) Gas flow rate, q (L min-1)
0.50
(e) q=2.0
Mobile gas content

0.45 q=0.2
m (cm cm-1 )

0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Mean diameter, dm (mm)

Figure 6. Contour plot of mobile gas content (m) as a function of gas flow rate (q) and particle size range () for gravel at different mean particle
diameters (dm): (a) 5 mm, (b) 7 mm, (c) 9 mm, and (d) 11 mm. Symbols () indicate observed data. (e) Overall mobile gas content for gravel
as a function of dm for selected flow rates.

Volume 60 July 2010 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 835
Sharma and Poulsen
The difference in between LECA and gravel (LECA
gravel) as a function of dm and are shown in Figure 4. The
figure shows that LECA gravel in most cases is posi-
tive, although some negative values also occur. LECA
gravel is independent of dm (Figure 4a) but tends to
decrease with increasing (Figure 4b). Statistical anal-
ysis using the paired t test showed that LECA is signif-
icantly higher than gravel at the 95% confidence level.
The reason for the higher LECA is likely the surface
roughness and the presence of internal pores in this
material as discussed earlier. Increased gas mixing in-
side of the filter can therefore also be improved using
filter materials that have a rough surface and contain
internal pores, although the effect is considerably less
than that of particle size distribution and particle
diameter.
The mobile volumetric gas content in LECA is shown
as a function of particle size range () and applied gas flow
rate (q) for different dm in Figures 5a5d. The mobile gas
content is in general only weakly dependent on and dm
(Figure 5e) but increases with increasing gas flow rate with
the highest rate of increase observed at low gas flow rates.
At a flow rate of 0.2 L min1, m was approximately 0.5
cm3 cm3 or approximately equal to the external poros-
ity. At 2-L min1 flow rate, m was approximately 0.75 cm3
cm3 or approximately equal to the external porosity plus
half of the internal porosity (Figure 5e). This shows that
progressively more of the internal pore space becomes
mobile as the flow rate increases. For the gravel, mobile
gas content also increased with increasing gas flow rate
(Figure 6, a d). The mobile gas content in gravel at 0.2-
and 2-L min1 flow rate was approximately 0.3 and 0.4
cm3 cm3, respectively. This means that for the gravel
approximately 75% of the external pore space is mobile at
a flow rate of 0.2 L min1, whereas almost all external
pore space is mobile at a flow rate of 2 L min1. The
reason for the higher relative mobile volume for LECA at
0.2 L min1 is likely that some of the internal pores are
also mobile (whereas some of the external porosity is
immobile) at this gas low flow rate. Improved utilization
of filter space can therefore be achieved by using a dual-
porosity material and by increasing the gas flow rate.
It is important to note that the choice of biofilter
material particle size, particle distribution, and gas flow
velocity all affect the pressure drop across the filter. For
filters operated using passive transport based on natural
pressure differences, this is normally not a problem, but if
active pumping is carried out, increasing pressure will
mean increased operation costs. It is also important to use
dual-porosity materials in which the internal pores are
connected to the atmosphere otherwise the internal po-
rosity will not become mobile during filter operation.
CONCLUSIONS
Gas dispersivity and immobile gas content were mea-
sured for a solid particle material (gravel) and a porous
particle biofilter material (LECA) as functions of mean
particle diameter, particle size range, and gas flow rate. Par-
ticle sizes of 216 mm and gas flow rates of 0.22 L min1
were used. The dispersivity was generally higher in LECA
compared with gravel, especially for fractions with a nar-
row particle size range (2 6 mm). This is likely because of
836 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
the larger surface roughness and the presence of internal
pores in the LECA particles. In LECA, gas dispersivity
increased with increasing particle size range and average
particle diameter, whereas for gravel, dispersivity in-
creased with increasing particle size range but was inde-
pendent of average particle diameter. The volumetric
fraction of mobile gas in both media was relatively inde-
pendent of mean particle diameter and particle size range
but increased with increasing gas flow rate, especially at
low gas flow rates. As gas flow rate increases, gas is also
forced to flow through the smaller pores, thus increasing
the mobile gas-filled porosity. As the mobile gas-filled
porosity approaches total porosity, the rate of increase in
mobile gas-filled porosity with gas flow decreases to zero.
When designing biofilters, the results of this study
suggest that improved gas mixing inside of the biofilter
can be achieved by choosing carrier materials consisting
of particles with a wide range of sizes and a rougher
surface. Using porous particles will also increase mixing
and provide a larger mobile gas-filled volume fraction of
the filter. Increased dispersion results in better gas distri-
bution inside of the filter (because mass transport is di-
rectly proportional to the dispersion coefficient) and in-
creased mass transfer from the gas phase to the particle
surfaces (because the stagnant gas boundary layer near the
particle surfaces is thinner at higher mixing rates). In-
creased mobile volume fraction can also be achieved by
increasing the gas flow velocity, although it should be
noted that increased gas velocity would mean increased
operation costs for filters based on active air pumping.
The results reported here refer to dry biofilter mate-
rials without water or biofilm present. It is likely that the
presence of biofilm will change the surface properties of
the particles and therefore also dispersivity and immobile
gas volume. Further research preferably based on gas
transport in full-scale operating biofilters could provide
information about how presence of water and biofilm
affect gas transport, mixing, and immobile gas volume in
biofilters under practical conditions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A grant from the Villum Kann Rasmussen Foundation
supporting this research is greatly acknowledged.
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About the Authors
Prabhakar Sharma is currently a postdoctoral researcher in
the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at
the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. Tjalfe
G. Poulsen is an associate professor in the Department of
Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Environmental Engineering
at Aalborg University in Aalborg, Denmark. Please address
correspondence to: Prabhakar Sharma, Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering, The University of Western
Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9; phone: 1-
519-661-2111; e-mail: psharm52@uwo.ca.
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 837