Characterization of adsorption removal of hydrogen sulfide by waste biocover soil, an alternative landfill cover

Landfill is an important anthropogenic source of odorous gases. In this work, the adsorption characteristics of H2S on waste biocover soil, an alternative landfill cover, were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption capacity of H2S increased with the reduction of particle size, the increase of pH value and water content of waste biocover soil. The optimal composition of waste biocover soil, in regard to operation cost and H2S removal performance, was original pH value, water content of 40% (w/w) and particle size of ≤4 mm. A net increase was observed in the adsorption capacity of H2S with temperatures in the range of 4-35 °C. The adsorption capacity of H2S on waste biocover soil with optimal composition reached the maximum value of 60 ± 1 mg/kg at oxygen concentration of 10% (v/v). When H2S concentration was about 5% (v/v), the adsorption capacity was near saturation, maintaining at 383 ± 40 mg/kg. Among the four experimental soils, the highest adsorption capacity of H2S was observed on waste biocover soil, followed by landfill cover soil, mulberry soil, and sand soil, which was only 9.8% of that of waste biocover soil.