Numerical simulation on the reduction of flow heterogeneity in the biofilter media

The biofilters are the ideal solutions for the biological treatment of air pollutants. However, there exists strong flow heterogeneity in porous media that degrades the removal efficiency of biofilters. Thus, the effects of Darcy number, Reynolds number and porosity of porous media on the reduction of flow heterogeneity in three biofilter models were numerically studied by the lattice Boltzmann method. The simulation results lead to three conclusions: (1) The Darcy number has dominant influence on the flow heterogeneity in the biofilters. The reduction of flow heterogeneity can be realized by designing a comparatively low Darcy number. (2) The Reynolds number has obvious effect on the flow heterogeneity in the biofilters. However, the reduction of flow heterogeneity cannot be effectively established by regulating the Reynolds number. (3) The property of porous media greatly influences the flow heterogeneity in the biofilters. The present results are helpful for the optimized design of practical biofilter models.