| Abstract
| - The study presented in this paper dealt with the operation of a laboratory-scale upflow biofilter,packed with compost-based filter material. The airborne contaminant studied was toluene,maintained at a constant inlet concentration of 1.7 g·m-3. The input air was conveyed upwardthrough the filter column at a flow rate of 1 m3·h-1. The objective of this work was the study ofthe impact of increasing concentrations of nitrogen contained in the nutrients solution and, hence,the establishment of a new correlation between this parameter and the overall degradationperformance. Depending on the nitrogen concentration employed, two biodegradation regimeshave been identified. Over the optimal range of nitrogen concentrations [2.0−8.0 g of N·L-1],the maximum level of elimination capacity achieved was ≃100 g·m-3·h-1. This value is in linewith theoretical considerations that suggest that an optimal nitrogen concentration of ≃2.6 g ofN·L-1 is required to achieve the same performance (100 g·m-3·h-1).
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