A performance study of simultaneous microbial removal of no and SO2 in a biotrickling-filter under anaerobic condition

the behaviors of simultaneous removal of no and so2 using the coculture of anaerobic denitrifying bacteria and sulfate reducing bacteria was investigated in a bench-scale biotrickling-filter. when the combined no/so2 removal biotrickling-filter was operated at an empty bed residence time of 76 s with no and so2 feed concentrations of 2 and 2 g/m3, respectively, the so2 removal efficiency was always above 95%, while no removal exhibited an evident periodicity of 5-6 days for the initial 60 days after the attachment phase. a steady-state no-removal efficiency of around 90% was obtained after 130 days of continuous operation. experimental results indicated that the coculture in the combined no/so2 removal biotrickling-filter showed a higher resistance to shock no-loadings and a better tolerance to starvation than the single denitrifying bacteria in the no removal biotrickling-filter.