Browsing by Author "Vergara-Ojeda, Christian"

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    (33, 33) San Martin-Davison, Jessica; Scott, Felipe; Vergara-Ojeda, Christian; Moreno-Casas, Patricio; Hort, Cecile; Vergara-Fernández, Alberto; 33
    BACKGROUND: Indoor air pollution is a growing problem worldwide that causes a series of health issues in the population. Effective devices for abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are currently restricted to adsorption systems based on active carbon. The objective of this study was to evaluate the operation of a new design of radial-flow biopurifier using a model mixture of toluene, benzo(?)pyrene (BaP) and formaldehyde, initially inoculated with the filamentous fungus Fusarium solani and the bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis. RESULTS: The results show that, under the range of inlet load tested and under continuous operation, the biopurification system achieved removal efficiencies above 90%, translating into a purifier air refreshment capacity of 0.62, 2.5 and 0.8 h?1 for BaP, formaldehyde and toluene, respectively. CONCLUSION: The system was operated for 8 months, without a decrease in the single-pass removal efficiency, and withstood up to 15 days starvation periods with a marginal effect on its air refreshment capacity once the feeding of pollutants was restarted.
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    (33, 33) San Martín-Davison, Jessica; Lebrero, Raquel; Vergara-Ojeda, Christian; Scott, Felipe; Huiliñir, Cesar; Vergara-Fernández, Alberto; 33
    Background: Naphthalene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, highly dangerous for human health. It is produced as a byproduct of incomplete combustion of organic material and is frequently present in the air. Biofilters offer an effective alternative for its treatment. The aim of this work was to study the treatment of naphthalene vapors through biofiltration using two biofilters: one inoculated with a consortium composed of Fusarium solani and Rhodococcus erythropolis (BF1), and the other inoculated with a consortium of microbial isolates obtained from a previous biofilter eliminating naphthalene vapors. Results: The results demonstrate that inoculating a biofilter with a reconstructed consortium of microbial isolates from a naphthalene vapor-eliminating biofilter allowed a reduction of the startup time from 35 to 5 days, while maintaining a consistent removal capacity (6 g m?3 h?1, equivalent to 80% removal efficiency). It was also observed that the biofilter inoculated with the reconstructed consortium exhibited comparable robustness to a biofilter previously operated for 4 months with naphthalene, with a maximum removal capacity of 14 g m?3 h?1 for a naphthalene inlet load of 17 g m?3 h?1. The study of microbial communities indicates an increase in the bacterial variability, while fungal variability remains low, with Fusarium solani being predominant at 97%. Conclusions: Results obtained during the startup of both biofilters and by challenging biofilters to increasing naphthalene concentrations or decreasing empty bed residence time showed that startup time can be reduced sevenfold by selecting the microbial consortium. An equivalent performance, in the long run, was achieved for both biofilters.