Due to the lower energy consumption and waste production compared to traditional methods, the environmental bioremediation methods based on natural processes have been gradually becoming more prevalent in environmental engineering. Biological methods are used in waste management, wastewater treatment, gas treatment or soil remediation. For the low solubility of some pollutants and lower bioavailability, the use of biological methods may be hampered. This problem might be mitigated with the use of surfactants. This paper presents the results of studies regarding the eff ect of dosing a selected surfactant from the Tween group (Tween 20) on the efficiency of toluene elimination from the air by biofi ltration. The obtained maximum biofi ltration rate was 21.2 g/m3/h and 19.8 g/m3/h for the control bed and for the bed to which the Tween 20 solution was dosed, respectively. The eff ect of Tween was neutral (the effectiveness of toluene removal was insignificantly comparable to the effectiveness of the control series), it did not affect the effectiveness or limited the development of the biofilter microflora.

Removal of certain organic pollutants from the environment may be difficult due to their poor water solubility and high vapour pressure. Particularly, these are factors limiting the use of biological remediation methods because they affect the bioavailability of xenobiotics. Therefore, an important issue in the biofiltration of gasses is the removal of hydrophobic compounds. This paper presents the results of research showing relation the application of a chosen surfactant (betaine) to the efficiency of toluene biofiltration. The research was conducted on a laboratory-scale biofilter. Elimination capacity and removal efficiency at different biofilter loads have been researched. The maximum elimination capacity was 21.2 and 32.3 g/m³h for the control bed and for the bed to which the betaine solution was applied, respectively. For the results of the experiment, statistical analyses and model calculations were performed. The results were compared with the reference literature.

Excessive odour emission, and thus the potential effect of unpleasant odours in the form of odour nuisance for residents, is a problem that affects many different waste management facilities. To prevent and reduce odour emissions, it is necessary to define specific clear and strict legal...

Removal of certain organic pollutants from the environment may be hindered due to their weak water solubility and high vapour pressure. In particular, these are factors that limit the application of biological methods in remediation since they have an influence on the bio-accessibility of the xenobiotics. For that reason, we carried out research on the use of surface-active agents that have impact on the increase in solubility of hydrophobic compounds. In this publication, we present the results of laboratory tests on the application of Brij 35 in purification of the air polluted with toluene vapours by the biofiltration method. Within the range of surfactant concentrations subjected to the research (200, 300, 400 mg/dm³), we observed an improvement of the removal efficiency as compared to the control series (without the surfactant).

Among the biggest challenges facing our civilization is slowing down the rate of climate change and improving air quality in cities. This cannot be achieved in isolation from the sustainability and intensification of relevant research. The aim of this Special Issue: Current Trends in Emission Control and Forecasting of Air Quality and Climate Changes is to publish selected high-quality papers from the 15th Scientific Conference POL-EMIS 2020: Current Trends in Air and Climate Protection—Control Monitoring, Forecasting, and Reduction of Emissions (19–21 October 2020, Wroclaw) and other papers related to the development of: low-emission fuels, industrial technologies, and energy generation, including renewable energy sources (RES); technology for reducing/eliminating emissions from low municipal sources and transport; innovative methods of waste gas purification; emission and immission control methods (including odors); prospective ways of counteracting climate change; indoor air protecting methods; development of mathematical modeling of air quality; new directions in forecasting the effects of air pollution and climate change and air quality management.