Biological conversion of sulfide to elemental sulfur

Abstract

202-210<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:="" minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;="" mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">The use of a biological reactor (bioreactor) as a means of removing hydrogen sulfide from waste water and converting it to elemental sulfur has several advantages over conventional physical/chemical treatment processes. A suspended-growth continuous-flow stirred-tank bioreactor utilizing the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium limicola was successfully operated at five different sulfide loading rates and three different hydraulic retention times. In all but one of the five experiments, the rate of consumption of the sulfide was equal to its loading rate. The separation of elemental sulfur from the bioreactor contents is essential to realize its value as a chemical industry feedstock. Separations of elemental sulfur by plain settling, settling at elevated p<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;="" mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;="" mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:arial;mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa;mso-bidi-font-style:="" italic"="">H, <span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:="" minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;="" mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">filtration and centrifuging were tested at bench scale using the contents of several batch bioreactors. Under plain settling, elemental sulfur and bacteria were removed from suspension to the same degree. Raising the <span style="font-size: 11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:="" minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:="" minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:arial;="" mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">pH to <span style="font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;="" mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;="" mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:arial;mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">8.6 or <span style="font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;="" mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;="" mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:arial;mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">8.8 resulted in some of the sulfur or bacteria settling independently of the sulfur-bacteria floes. Filtration was found to give conflicting results with different batches of bacteria. Centrifugation resulted in the best separation between elemental sulfur and bacteria; 90% of the elemental sulfur and 29% of the bacteria could be removed from suspension.</span