Biodegradation of volatile chlorinated compounds such as chloroform by using anaerobic biotrickling filter (BTF) provided a removal efficiency of 60%.  Addition of surfactants could affects the apparent vapor-liquid equilibrium and thus enhance the bioavailability of hydrophobic VOCs and hence increase its elimination capacity.  Five surfactants: Tomadol 25 -7, alkyldiphenyloxide disulfonate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, Triton X-100, and Tween 80 were evaluated in a batch study for determining their impact on the apparent Henry's constant of three trihalomethanes. The measured Henry's law constants were significantly reduced when surfactants were added to the solution above their critical micelle concentrations (CMC's). Tomadol 25 - 7 had the greatest effect on the apparent Henry's constant at 0.5 CMC value.  Hence,  it was used as a co-solvent in the nutrient solution fed to the BTF, resulting increase of the removal efficiency of chloroform to 70%. The study will be further evaluated by introducing another THM, bromodichloromethane, with chloroform.

Effects of surfactant on the removal of disinfection byproducts in an anaerobic biotrickling filter (BTF)

246th National Meeting (2013)

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