%0 Journal Article 
%A Brito, Javier
%A Almengló Cordero, Fernando
%A Ramírez Muñoz, Martín
%A Cantero Moreno, Domingo
%T Feedback and Feedforward Control of a Biotrickling Filter for H2S Desulfurization with Nitrite as Electron Acceptor
%D 2019
%@ 2076-3417
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10498/21691
%X Biotrickling filters’ control for H2S removal has special challenges because of complexity of
the systems. Feedback and feedforward control were implemented in an anoxic biotrickling filter,
operated in co-current flow mode and using nitrite as an electron acceptor. The feedback controller
was tuned by three methods—two based on Ziegler-Nichols’ rules (step-response and maintained
oscillation) and the third using the Approximate M-constrained Integral Gain Optimization (AMIGO).
Inlet H2S staircase step perturbations were studied using a feedforward control and the e ect of
EBRT considered by feedback control. The tuning method by maintained oscillation shows the lower
errors. The selected controller was a PI, because unstable behavior at the lowest H2S inlet loading
was found under a PID controller. The PI control was able to maintain an outlet H2S concentration of
14.7   0.45 ppmV at three EBRT, studied at 117 s, 92 s and 67 s. Therefore, desulfurized biogas could
be used to feed a fuel cell. Feedforward control enhances BTF performance compared to the system
without control. The maximum outlet H2S concentration was reduced by 26.18%, although sulfur
selectivity did not exceed 55%, as elemental sulfur was the main oxidation product.
%K Anoxic
%K biogas desulphurization
%K feedback control
%K feedforward control
%K nitrite
%~ Universidad de Cádiz