Characteristics of biotrickling filter system for hydrogen sulfide removal with seasonal temperature variations: A strategy for low temperature conditions

The impact of temperature on the biological removal of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from air is critical to its effective application in cold regions or seasons. This study investigated the effect of seasonal temperature variations (7–30 °C) on the H2S removal performance of a biotrickling filter system, with an effective H2S elimination capacity of 98.1 g/m3/h (removal efficiency = 83.1 %) achieved at temperatures of 10–12 °C. Biofilm growth was found to be accelerated by increased secretion of extracellular polymeric substances, enhanced biofilm adhesion capacity and relatively high levels of elemental sulfur accumulation, which help to retain heat within the filter bed under cold conditions. High–throughput sequencing showed that the psychrotolerant sulfur–oxidizing bacterium (SOB) Metallibacterium was gradually enriched (54.8 %) at temperatures below 15 °C. The major pathways of sulfur metabolism under low temperature conditions were determined based on the detection of enzymes related to sulfur metabolism. Finally, a strategy to enrich Metallibacterium was proposed to promote the application of biodesulfurization under low temperature conditions.