Use of activated carbon as a support medium for H2S biofiltration and effect of bacterial immobilization on available pore surface

Biochemical engineering for elemental sulfur from flue gases through multi-enzymatic based approaches - A review

Flue gases are the gases which are produced from industries related to chemical manufacturing, petrol refineries, power plants and ore processing plants. Along with other pollutants, sulfur present in the flue gas is detrimental to the environment. Therefore, environmentalists are concerned about its removal and recovery of resources from flue gases due to its activation ability in the atmosphere to transform into toxic substances. This review is aimed at a critical assessment of the techniques developed for resource recovery from flue gases. The manuscript discusses various bioreactors used in resource recovery such as hollow fibre membrane reactor, rotating biological contractor, sequential batch reactor, fluidized bed reactor, entrapped cell bioreactor and hybrid reactors. In conclusion, this manuscript provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential of thermotolerant and thermophilic microbes in sulfur removal. Additionally, it evaluates the efficacy of a multi-enzyme engineered bioreactor in this process. Furthermore, the study introduces a groundbreaking sustainable model for elemental sulfur recovery, offering promising prospects for environmentally-friendly and economically viable sulfur removal techniques in various industrial applications.

Removal mechanisms of H(2)S using exhausted carbon in biofiltration

Exhausted carbon which comes from the H(2)S adsorption process may be a hazardous waste. In this study, exhausted carbon was re-used in biofiltration for H(2)S removal. Two identical columns were used for exhausted carbon (Column A) and fresh carbon (Column B). They were operated in the same mode with 35 ppmv of H(2)S gas at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 10s. The results show that the removal efficiency of H(2)S in the two columns was almost identical at 95-100%. The removal mechanisms of H(2)S was explored and explained by developing a mathematical model. The model incorporated mass transfer, biodegradation, adsorption, as well as biofilm growth. The developed model can predict the experimental results very well. The modeled results suggest that the removal of H(2)S in Column A was attributed to the adsorption mechanism much less than in Column B during the start-up stage, while the removal of H(2)S by the biodegradation in Column A was much higher. The removal of H(2)S by the adsorption was significantly affected by the biodegradation. The simulation results also suggest that column A achieved the steady-state biodegradation in a shorter time than in Column B. This could result from higher biomass concentration of biofilm in Column A, due to the extra sulfur source from pre-adsorbed sulfur on exhausted carbon besides H(2)S gas feeding.

H2S and volatile fatty acids elimination by biofiltration: clean-up process for biogas potential use

In the present work, the main objective was to evaluate a biofiltration system for removing hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) contained in a gaseous stream from an anaerobic digestor (AD). The elimination of these compounds allowed the potential use of biogas while maintaining the methane (CH(4)) content throughout the process. The biodegradation of H(2)S was determined in the lava rock biofilter under two different empty bed residence times (EBRT). Inlet loadings lower than 200 g/m(3)h at an EBRT of 81 s yielded a complete removal, attaining an elimination capacity (EC) of 142 g/m(3)h, whereas at an EBRT of 31 s, a critical EC of 200 g/m(3)h was reached and the EC obtained exhibited a maximum value of 232 g/m(3)h. For 1500 ppmv of H(2)S, 99% removal was maintained during 90 days and complete biodegradation of VFAs was observed. A recovery of 60% as sulfate was obtained due to the constant excess of O(2) concentration in the system. Acetic and propionic acids as a sole source of carbon were also evaluated in the bioreactor at different inlet loadings (0-120 g/m(3)h) obtaining a complete removal (99%) for both. Microcosms biodegradation experiments conducted with VFAs demonstrated that acetic acid provided the highest biodegradation rate.

Investigation on the mechanism of H2S removal by biological activated carbon in a horizontal biotrickling filter

The use of supporting media for the immobilization of microorganisms is widely known to provide a surface for microbial growth and a shelter that protects the microorganisms from inhibitory compounds. In our previous studies, activated carbon (AC) alone used as a support medium for H(2)S biological removal was proved prompt and efficient in a bench-scale biofilter and biotrickling filter. In this study, the mechanisms of H(2)S elimination using microbial immobilized activated carbon, i.e., biological activated carbon (BAC), are investigated. A series of BAC as supporting medium were taken from the inlet to outlet of a bench-scale horizontal biotrickling filter to examine the different effects of physical/chemical adsorption and microbial degradation on the overall removal of H(2)S. The surface properties of BAC together with virgin and exhausted carbon (after H(2)S breakthrough test, non-microbial immobilization) were characterized using the sorption of nitrogen (Braunner-Emmett-Teller test), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface pH, thermal, carbon-hydrogen-nitrogen-sulfur (CHNS) elemental and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses. Tests of porosity and surface area provide detailed information about the pore structure of BAC along the bed facilitating the understanding of potential pore blockages due to biofilm coating. A correlation between the available surface area and pore volume with the extent of microbial immobilization and H(2)S uptake is evidenced. SEM photographs show the direct carbon structure and biofilm coated on carbon surface. FTIR spectra, differential thermogravimetric curves and CHNS results indicate less diversity of H(2)S oxidation products on BAC than those previously observed on exhausted carbon from H(2)S adsorption only. The predominant oxidation product on BAC is sulfuric acid, and biofilm is believed to enhance the oxidation of H(2)S on carbon surface. The combination of biodegradation and physical adsorption of using BAC in removal of H(2)S could lead to a long-term (i.e., years) good performance of biotrickling filters and biofilters based on BAC compared to carbon adsorption only.