Free sulfurous acid (FSA) inhibition of biological thiosulfate reduction (BTR) in the sulfur cycle-driven wastewater treatment process

Jin Qian; Lianlian Wang; Yaoguo Wu; Philip L Bond; Yuhan Zhang; Xing Chang; Baixue Deng; Li Wei; Qin Li; Qilin Wang

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.02.117

Free sulfurous acid (FSA) inhibition of biological thiosulfate reduction (BTR) in the sulfur cycle-driven wastewater treatment process

Chemosphere. 2017 Jun:176:212-220. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.02.117. Epub 2017 Feb 24.

Authors

Jin Qian¹, Lianlian Wang², Yaoguo Wu², Philip L Bond³, Yuhan Zhang², Xing Chang², Baixue Deng², Li Wei⁴, Qin Li⁵, Qilin Wang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, NO. 127 West Youyi Road, Xi'an 710072, China; State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, NO. 127 West Youyi Road, Xi'an 710072, China. Electronic address: qianjin131@yahoo.com.hk.
² Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, NO. 127 West Youyi Road, Xi'an 710072, China.
³ Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), The University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Brisbane, Australia.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
⁵ Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, QLD 4111, Australia; Queensland Miro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
⁶ Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, QLD 4111, Australia; Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), The University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: qilin.wang@griffith.edu.au.

PMID: 28264778
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.02.117

Abstract

A sulfur cycle-based bioprocess for co-treatment of wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) wastes with freshwater sewage has been developed. In this process the removal of organic carbon is mainly associated with biological sulfate or sulfite reduction. Thiosulfate is a major intermediate during biological sulfate/sulfite reduction, and its reduction to sulfide is the rate-limiting step. In this study, the impacts of saline sulfite (the ionized form: HSO₃^- + SO₃^2-) and free sulfurous acid (FSA, the unionized form: H₂SO₃) sourced from WGFD wastes on the biological thiosulfate reduction (BTR) activities were thoroughly investigated. The BTR activity and sulfate/sulfite-reducing bacteria (SRB) populations in the thiosulfate-reducing up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor decreased when the FSA was added to the UASB influent. Batch experiment results confirmed that FSA, instead of saline sulfite, was the true inhibitor of BTR. And BTR activities dropped by 50% as the FSA concentrations were increased from 8.0 × 10^-8 to 2.0 × 10^-4 mg H₂SO₃-S/L. From an engineering perspective, the findings of this study provide some hints on how to ensure effective thiosulfate accumulation in biological sulfate/sulfite reduction for the subsequent denitrification/denitritation. Such manipulation would result in higher nitrogen removal rates in this co-treatment process of WFGD wastes with municipal sewage.

Keywords: Biological thiosulfate reduction (BTR); Free sulfurous acid (FSA, H(2)SO(3)); Saline sulfite (HSO(3)(−) + SO(3)(2−)); Sulfate/sulfite-reducing bacteria (SRB).

MeSH terms

Biodegradation, Environmental*
Bioreactors / microbiology
Denitrification
Desulfovibrio / metabolism
Fresh Water / microbiology
Oxidation-Reduction
Sewage / microbiology*
Sulfur / chemistry*
Thiosulfates / antagonists & inhibitors
Thiosulfates / metabolism*
Wastewater / chemistry*

Substances

Sewage
Thiosulfates
Waste Water
Sulfur