Comparative elimination of dimethyl disulfide by maifanite and ceramic-packed biotrickling filters and their response to microbial community

• The seeded GIGAN2 became dominant species after 45 days accumulation in twin BTFs.
• Higher ECs and REs were achieved in maifanite-packed BTF than ceramic-packed BTF.
• Max EC in BTF with maifanite (19.0) is higher than ceramic (16.6 g m−3 h−1).
• Higher abundance of GIGAN2 on maifanite proved its higher DMDS removal capability.

Unpleasant odor emissions have traditionally occupied an important role in environmental concern. In this paper, twin biotrickling filters (BTFs) packed with different packing materials, seeded with Bacillus cereus GIGAN2, were successfully constructed to purify gaseous dimethyl disulfide (DMDS). The maifanite-packed BTF showed superior biodegradation capability to the ceramic-packed counterpart in terms of removal efficiency and elimination capacity under similar conditions. At an empty bed residence time of 123 s, 100% of DMDS could be removed by maifanite-packed BTF when DMDS inlet concentration was below 0.41 g m−3. To achieve same effect, the inlet concentration must be lower than 0.25 g m−3 for ceramic-packed BTF. The bacterial communities analyses found higher relative abundance of GIGAN2 in the maifanite-packed BTF, suggesting that maifanite is more suitable for GIGAN2 immobilization and for subsequent DMDS removal. This work indicates maifanite is a promising packing material for real odorous gases purification.

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