Minimising biomass accumulation in biotrickling filters

Various approaches can minimize biomass accumulation in biotricking filters (BTF), which can be classified as: (1) physical, (2) chemical and (3) biological. Other approaches include (4) improvement of the bioreactor design and (5) modification of the mode and operational parameters. All of these methods involve either reduction in biomass growth or removal of excess biomass and each method has unique advantages and disadvantages as far as biomass reduction capability, sustainability and ease of integration to the system are concerned, which are compared and contrasted in this review. A careful comparison and analysis of these methods is a requisite to an optimum operation of a BTF system.