Pollution characteristics of volatile organic compounds emitted from penicillin fermentation workshop

The air samples in two different stages (high temperature sterilization stage and fermentation stage) of penicillin fermentation workshop were sampled in fermentation process to investigate the pollution level of VOCs in fermentation exhaust. Results showed that the staggered variation of VOCs in penicillin fermentation workshop was obvious. The concentration of VOCs in high temperature sterilization stage was higher than that in fermentation stage. The concentration of VOCs was relatively high in high temperature sterilization stage, which might be caused by the evaporation of contamination in high temperature. Chlorinated hydrocarbons were found as the major component emitted from the penicillin fermentation workshop, while ester compounds were mainly emitted from the holding phase of the high temperature sterilization phase. In the 23detected VOCs in high temperature sterilization stage, while in fermentation stage only detected VOCs in 15, the concentration of trichlorotrifluoroethane, dichlorotetrafluoroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene and vinyl acetate was relatively high in fermentation process.