Removal of odorant dimethyl disulfide under alkaline and neutral conditions in biotrickling filters

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the performance of biotrickling filters (BTFs) for treating low concentrations of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), using different bacterial consortia adapted to consume reduced sulfur compounds under alkaline (pH ≈ 10) or neutral (pH ≈ 7) conditions. Solubility experiments indicated that the partition of DMDS in neutral and alkaline mineral media was similar to the value with distilled water. Respirometric assays showed that oxygen consumption was around ten times faster in the neutrophilic as compared with the alkaliphilic consortium. Batch experiments demonstrated that sulfate was the main product of the DMDS degradation. Two laboratory-scale BTFs were implemented for the continuous treatment of DMDS in both neutral and alkaline conditions. Elimination capacities of up to 17 and 24 gDMDS m−3 h−1 were achieved for the alkaliphilic and neutrophilic reactors with 100% removal efficiency after an initial adaptation and biomass build-up.