Apparatus for the purification of waste water and/or waste gas using a
biofilter containing a filtering material, wherein the waste water move
downwardly thereinto while the waste gas move upwardly or downwardly
thereinto, is disclosed. Also disclosed is an apparatus for simultaneous
purification of waste water and waste gas, comprising a filtering material
comprised of a succession of layers. More conveniently, the apparatus
comprises sufficient filtering material between the gas inlet and water
outlet to ensure that the water coming out of the apparatus has not been
substantially contaminated by the upwardly moving waste gas. In a
preferred embodiment, the upper layer of filtering carrier material has a
substantially lower filtration capacity than a lower layer of filtering
carrier material, to prevent clogging of the filtering material upon
downward flow of the waste water. Further disclosed is an apparatus for
simultaneous purification of waste water as waste gas moving both
downwardly. A filtering composition for purification of waste water and/or
waste gas is also disclosed. Finally, the invention relates to an
apparatus and a filtering composition for the purification of various
types of waste water and waste gas.