title: Sulfur transformation in rising main sewers receiving nitrate dosage.
abstract: The anoxic and anaerobic sulfur transformation pathways in a laboratory-scale sewer receiving nitrate were investigated. Four reactors in series were employed to imitate a rising main sewer. The nitrate-dosing strategy was effective in controlling sulfide, as confirmed by the long-term sulfide measurements. Anoxic sulfide oxidation occurred in two sequential steps, namely the oxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur (S(0)) and the oxidation of S(0) to sulfate (SO(4)(2-)). The second oxidation step, which primarily occurred when the first step was completed, had a rate that is approximately 15% of the first step. When nitrate was depleted, sulfate and elemental sulfur were reduced simultaneously to sulfide. Sulfate reduction had a substantially higher rate (5 times) than S(0) reduction. The relatively slower S(0) oxidation and reduction rates implied that S(0) was an important intermediate during anoxic and anaerobic sulfur transformation. Electron microscopic studies indicated the presence of elemental sulfur, which was at a significant level of 9.9 and 16.7 mg-S/g-biomass in nitrate-free and nitrate-exposed sewer biofilms, respectively. A conceptual sulfur transformation model was established to characterize predominant sulfur transformations in rising main sewers receiving nitrate dosage. The findings are pertinent for optimizing nitrate dosing to control sulfide in rising main sewers.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, Gehrmann Building (60), Level 4, St. Lucia Campus, Research Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4067, Australia.
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Keshab Raj
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guisasola
authors.forename: Jurg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Zhiguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009566:Nitrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012722:Sewage; D013455:Sulfur / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D012722:Sewage; D013455:Sulfur