Thermophilic biofiltration of H2S and isolation of a thermophilic and heterotrophic H2S-degrading bacterium, Bacillus sp. TSO3

Abstract

Thermophilic biofiltration of H2S-containing gas was studied at 60 °C using polyurethane (PU) cubes and as a packing material and compost as a source of thermophilic microorganisms. The performance of biofilter was enhanced by pH control and addition of yeast extract (YE). With YE supplement and pH control, H2S removal efficiency remained above 95% up to an inlet concentration of 950 ppmv at a space velocity (SV) of 50 h-1 (residence time = 1.2 min). H2S removal efficiency strongly correlated with the inverse of H2S inlet concentrations and gas flow rates. Thermophilic, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, TSO3, were isolated from the biofilter and identified as Bacillus sp., which had high similarity value (99%) with Bacillus thermoleovorans. The isolate TSO3 was able to degrade H2S without a lag period at 60 °C in liquid cultures as well as in the biofilter. High H2S removal efficiencies were sustained with a periodic addition of YE. This study demonstrated that an application of thermophilic microorganism for a treatment of hot gases may be an economically attractive option since expensive pre-cooling of gases to accommodate mesophilic processes is not required. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.