Patent ID: 6599423
Filing Date: 2003-07-29
Classification: B01D,C02F,Y02A,Y02W

Abstract:
A process for the treatment of at least one gas containing air or oxygen to aerobically biodegrade at least one compound contained in the gas by contacting the gas with at least one aerobic microorganism, whereby the at least one aerobic microorganism or at least one enzyme produced by the at least one aerobic microorganism aerobically biodegrades the at least one compound and lowers the concentration of the at least one compound to a desired lower concentration, the process comprising a biodegradation means which contains the at least one aerobic microorganism and/or the at least one enzyme produced by the at least one microorganism and a gas recirculation means in communication with the biodegradation means, which process comprises:(a) feeding the gas into the biodegradation means, (b) closing the biodegradation means and recirculation means to the ambient atmosphere exterior to the process such that the gas is not mixed with the ambient atmosphere exterior to the process; (c) removing the gas from the biodegradation means by way of the recirculation means which is in communication with the biodegradation means; (d) recirculating the gas through the recirculation means to and through the biodegradation means to form a closed loop flow of the gas through the process to thereby intimately contact the gas with the at least one microorganism and/or the at least one enzyme produced by the at least one microorganism to effect aerobic biodegradation of the at least one compound, said aerobic biodegradation causing depletion of oxygen and causing the gas to reach oxygen concentrations substantially lower than normal ambient atmospheric conditions during substantially the entire process and said aerobic biodegradation causing reduction in the concentration of the at least one compound to a desired lower concentration; (e) opening the process to the ambient atmosphere exterior to the process and repeating steps (a) through (d).