Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Science Communicator Platform

Stay connected! Follow us on X network (Twitter):
Share By
Comparative Survey of Virgin and Immobilized Activated Carbon With Pseudomonas Putida Ptcc in Toluene Removal From Airflow



Alaei Z1 ; Ghasemi R2 ; Pourmand MR3 ; Karimi A1 ; Masoorian E3 ; Golbabaei F1
Authors

Source: Journal of Health and Safety at Work Published:2022

Abstract

Introduction: Volatile organic compounds are the most common pollutants in the air, and among them, toluene is the most common form, which is toxic resulting in liver and kidneys damages. Regarding the fact that this compound is widely used in various chemical industries, implementing an efficient method for controlling its concentration is of great importance. The comparative survey of the capability of virgin activated carbon with the one immobilized by pseudomonas putida PTCC, and also the performance of the biofiltration system involving pseudomonas putida bacteria immobilized on activated carbon for the adsorption and degradation of toluene from the air as well as regenerating the activated carbon were aimed in the present study. Material and Methods: The microbial growth process was initiated by incubation of pre-culture in a rotary shaker, at 150 rpm overnight. After 4 days, the strain pseudomonas putida, PTCC No: 1694 was immobilized on a certain amount of activated carbon. Subsequently, an airstream containing toluene was introduced into the biofilter, and the inlet and outlet concentrations of toluene were measured. Results: The obtained results illustrated that the increase in the volume of the media and decrease in the gas flow rate significantly enhances efficiency. The great performance of the biofilter was confirmed by the high efficiency of the immobilized activated carbon which exhibited 89% yield during 14 hours. On the second cycle, the biofiltration system was able to adsorb toluene at an efficiency of 81%, while the virgin activated carbon exhibited far less efficiency with the value of 28%. Conclusion: The provided results demonstrated the feasibility and reusability of the biofilter system for toluene removal. The proposed technique also extends the activated carbon’s capacity, which could be a potential solution to re-use the activated carbon in industrial applications. © 2022 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Other Related Docs
8. Sustainable Remediation Technologies for Emerging Pollutants in Aqueous Environment, Sustainable Remediation Technologies for Emerging Pollutants in Aqueous Environment (2023)
11. Adsorption of Formaldehyde From Airflow Using Activated Carbon Derived From Pistachio Shells, International Journal of Environmental Health Research (2025)
14. Role of Carbon Nanomaterials for Wastewater Treatment—A Brief Review, Water Treatment Using Engineered Carbon Nanotubes (2023)
17. Biodegradation of Toluene in a Two-Phase Low-Pressure Bioscrubber With Using Silicon Oil As Organic Phase, International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry (2023)