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Pictured above: A small scale biosolids composting plant biofilter is being used to filter air.
Biofiltration is a filtration process using a "bioreactor" to remove pollutants. Common uses include filtering contaminants from the air and processing waste water. In each filtration process biomass, or organic material, is used as the filter media to capture the contaminants or pollutants. This is achieved through the microorganisms that occur within the biomass and its biofilm. For air filtration, air flows through an organic bed and the pollutants are captured in a thin biofilm that resides on the surface of the organic material. The microorganisms include fungi and bacteria that immobilize and breakdown the pollutant.
Dentrifying woodchip bioreactors are a type of bioreactor that utilize woodchips. The goal is usually to treat agriculture wastewater by removing nitrates from the water. This method has been used for several decades as an emerging technology. The microorganisms within the biomass, are responsible for the denitrification process. A carbon source, via the microorganisms, is used to reduce the nitrate into a harmless gas. These bioreactors have a low construction and operational costs with a long lifespan upwards of 15 years. The mining industry has adopted this process and it is steadily growing popularity.
"A 2013 experiment showed that after 70 days of startup, a woodchip pile loaded with liquid pig manure at 5 L/m2/day removed an average of 90% of nitrate after one month. However, if the environmental conditions do not support complete denitrification, undesirable greenhouse gas such as nitrous oxide gas and methane could be produced."
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