Abstract:Biotrickling filter (BTF) inoculated with the acclimated sludge was established to treat a mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including toluene, methanol, ethyl acrylate. BTF’s performance and metabolic activity of biofilm were investigated within the long-term operation period. BTF could remove more than 80% of VOCs mixture under the conditions of < 910 mg/m3 inlet concentrations. Therefore, BTF could treat low- and moderate-concentration waste gases containing toluene, methanol and ethyl acrylate efficiently and simultaneously. The overall elimination capacity reached 100 g/(m3·h) at inlet loads of 120 g/(m3·h). The mass ratio of carbon dioxide produced to VOCs removed was approximately 1.731, indicating complete degradation of VOCs mixtures. The degradation of toluene, methanol and ethyl acrylate in the BTF followed Michaelis-Menten kinetic model. The maximum specific degradation rate (rmax) was 90.9, 50.5 and 58.5 g/(m3·h), respectively. The average well color development(AWCD)values indicated that the biofilm inhibating in the BTF showed high microbial metabolic activity.