title: Temporal variation of microbial population in a thermophilic biofilter for SO₂ removal.
abstract: The performance of a biofilter relies on the activity of microorganisms during the gas contaminant treatment process. In this study, SO2 was treated using a laboratory-scale biofilter packed with polyurethane foam cubes (PUFC), on which thermophilic desulfurization bacteria were attached. The thermophilic biofilter effectively reduced SO2 within 10months of operation time, with a maximum elimination capacity of 48.29 g/m(3)/hr. Temporal shifts in the microbial population in the thermophilic biofilter were determined through polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence analysis. The substrate species and environmental conditions in the biofilter influenced the microbial population. Oxygen distribution in the PUFC was analyzed using a microelectrode. When the water-containing rate in PUFC was over 98%, the oxygen distribution presented aerobic-anoxic-aerobic states along the test route on the PUFC. The appearance of sulfate-reducing bacteria was caused by the anaerobic conditions and sulfate formation after 4months of operation.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China. Electronic address: zhangjingying123@126.com.
authors.forename: Jingying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China. Electronic address: leel@rcees.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Junxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000737:chemistry; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011140:Polyurethanes; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; C028279:polyurethane foam; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: DGGE analysis; Microbial population; O(2) distribution; Sulfur dioxide; Thermophilic biofilter