Open AccessNitrate‐reducing, sulfide‐oxidizing bacteria as microbial oxidants for rapid biological sulfide removal
Author(s) -
De Gusseme Bart,
De Schryver Peter,
De Cooman Michaël,
Verbeken Kim,
Boeckx Pascal,
Verstraete Willy,
Boon Nico
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2008.00598.x
Subject(s) - sulfide , hydrogen sulfide , oxidizing agent , sulfate reducing bacteria , environmental chemistry , nitrate , bacteria , sulfuric acid , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , chemistry , sulfur , inorganic chemistry , ecology , organic chemistry , genetics
The emission of hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere of sewer systems induces the biological production of sulfuric acid, causing severe concrete corrosion. As a possible preventive solution, a microbial consortium of nitrate‐reducing, sulfide‐oxidizing bacteria (NR‐SOB) was enriched in a continuously stirred tank reactor in order to develop a biological technique for the removal of dissolved sulfide. The consortium, dominated by Arcobacter sp., was capable of removing 99% of sulfide. Stable isotope fractioning of the sulfide indicated that the oxidation was a biological process. The capacity of the NR‐SOB consortium for rapid removal of sulfide was demonstrated by using it as an inoculum in synthetic and real sewage. Removal rates up to 52 mg sulfide‐S g VSS −1 h −1 were achieved, to our knowledge the highest removal rate reported so far for freshwater species in the absence of molecular oxygen. Further long‐term incubation experiments revealed the capacity of the bacteria to oxidize sulfide without the presence of nitrate, suggesting that an oxidized redox reserve is present in the culture.