Effect of Temperature on Removal of Ammonia in the Ceramic Biofilter Inoculated with Earthworm Casts

지렁이 분변토를 접종한 세라믹 바이오필터의 암모니아 제거에 미치는 온도의 영향

Removal of ammonia using the porous ceramic biofilter inoculated with earthworm casts was characterized. By assuming a plug air flow in the biofilter and applying the Michaelis-Menten equation, the maximum removal rate of $NH_3$ was $280.7g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($18.0g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$) at $30^{\circ}C$. $NH_3$ removal rate was increased as temperature increases from $15^{\circ}C$ to $35^{\circ}C$. The maximum removal rate was $285.8g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($18.8g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$) at $35^{\circ}C$. At $15^{\circ}C$, the $NH_3$ removal rate was $122.8g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($8.1g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$). When 210 ppm $NH_3$ was supplied to the biofilter at space velocity of $220h^{-1}$, the removal efficiency of $NH_3$ at 15, 25, 30 and $35^{\circ}C$ was 80, 90, 95, and 96%, respectively. The removal rate of the ceramic biofilter was 3 to 15 times higher than other biofilters comparing the removal efficiency of $NH_3$ per unit volume of carrier. This result indicates that earthworm casts and porous ceramics are very good inoculum source and carrier, respectively, for the $NH_3$-degrading biofilter.