Two identical laboratory-scale biotrickling filters, filled with different ceramic materials, were operated in order to investigate the removal of xylene from a waste gas stream. The biotrickling filter columns were seeded with pure bacteria identified as Bacillus firmus, which can utilize xylene as the sole carbon and energy source. The purification performance of the biotrickling filters was examined for xylene inlet concentrations C_g ≤ 3000 mg/m³ at different gas flow rates of 0.2 m³/h, 0.6 m³/h, and 1 m³/h, which correspond to gas empty bed residence times (EBRTs) of 84.8 s, 28.3 s, and 17.0 s, respectively. Both biofilters displayed a removal efficiency of no less than 95 % with the inlet xylene less than 3000 mg/m³ at the EBRTs of 84.8 and 28.3 s. When EBRT decreased to 17.0 s, the biofilter filled with ceramic particle type 2 had a better performance. The flow rate of trickling liquid has little effect on the removal efficiencies of the two filters. In the case of uneven distribution of trickling liquid in the packing materials, the performance of the biofilter can be improved by increasing the nitrogen nutrient supplement. Biomass quantity decreases as the depth of packing material increases in both biofilters, but the biofilter filled with ceramic particle type 1 had more alive bacteria per unit mass of packing material than the other.