Sulfur Production by Hydrogen Sulfide Biological Removal from Pollutants

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the polluting gases that enter the atmosphere during the natural gas processing of coal and furnace oil consumption. One of the best ways to remove H2S is to absorb H2s in the liquid phase and remove it biologically by sulfur bacteria in the liquid phase. This process considers the transfer of H2S and O2 between liquid and gas phases, biological oxidation of H2s to sulfate and elemental sulfur, and chemical oxidation to thiosulfate in the liquid phase. Due to the presence of sulfur bacteria in natural sulfur sources, the sulfur sources of sewage of Shahid Tondgooyan Oil Refining Co. in Tehran, Iran, and Mahallat Hot Spring in Iran, which contain sulfur compounds, were sampled in this study and were transferred to the laboratory for examination. Thiobacillusthioparus – one of the significant bacteria consuming sulfur compounds – was evaluated as a control sample. Further, the performance of bacteria in different culture conditions (carbon source and aeration conditions) was evaluated, and suitable conditions for their growth were determined. Sodium sulfide was used to create the sulfide medium. Next, sulfide consumption was evaluated by bacteria, and appropriate bacteria were selected. Finally, the production of sulfur during the process was evaluated using the ANOVA data analysis method. Then, the optimal points for sulfur production were predicted using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM).