Determination of water retention capacity of granular media of methane biofilters: a simplified approach

Methane biofilter (MBF) is a promising bioprocess technology capable of attenuating point-source and low-volume methane emissions from anthropogenic sources. Water availability is one of the most important factors affecting the growth of microorganisms; hence, water retention capacity (WRC) is a key determinant of the performance of granular filter materials when used as microbial growth media. Considering the difficulty in conducting extensive laboratory experiments to determine WRC of competing granular materials, the availability of a simple, but accurate, model for the assessment of WRC of granular materials could be an asset for practicing engineers involved in the design and operation of MBFs. This paper presents results from an assessment of the applicability of Peleg model for the estimation of WRC of granular materials that can be used as filter media in MBFs. Results show that there is high correlation between the laboratory determined water desorption values and the values predicted by Peleg model.