Biodegradation of Benzene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene Mixture in a Date Palm Tree Bark-based Upflow Biofilter

The performance of a date palm tree bark-based biofilter inoculated with mixed microbial consortia was investigated for the removal of a benzeneethylbenzene-xylene mixture at a total inlet loading rate range of 38.0 to 612.0 g/m·h. The influences of the inlet pollutant concentration and air flow rate were studied. The maximum elimination capacities attained for benzene, ethylbenzene, and toluene were 79.51, 77.47, and 57.08 g/m·h, respectively. The removal efficiencies were evaluated and found to vary inversely with the inlet pollutant concentration. The VOC conversions were demonstrated by the difference in inlet and exit concentrations. The axial removal performance of the biofilter was studied, and the contribution of the lowest part was comparatively more than those of the upper sections because of the different biomass growth patterns. Temperature monitoring in the biofilter confirmed the exothermic nature of the biodegradation.