Biofiltration at composting facilities: effectiveness for bioaerosol control.

Biofiltration was evaluated as a method to control the airborne microorganisms released at composting facilities. Seven commercial composting plants were selected for this study because of their different operating conditions and biofilter designs. In all plants, the biofilters were originally designed for odor control. The concentrations of both Aspergillus fumigatus and mesophilic bacteria were measured in the air stream before and after passing through the biofilters and compared with the background concentrations in the surrounding area. Results showed that biofiltration achieved an average reduction greater than 90% and 39% in the concentrations of A. fumigatus and mesophilic bacteria, respectively. In all the plants, the airborne A. fumigatus concentration after the biofilter was lower than 1.2 x 10(3) cfu m(-3), independent of the inlet concentration, whereas the mesophilic bacteria concentration was dependent on the inlet concentration. The different behaviors of the two microorganism groups were thought to be due to the different aerodynamic characteristics of the particles that affected the capture by impact in the biofilter bed. The fungus, whose spores had a maximum of diameter size distribution between 2.1 and 3.3 microm, were more effectively captured in the biofilter than the bacteria, which had diameters mainly between 1.1 and 2.1 microm.