Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is one of the most toxic and offensively odorous gases and is generated in anaerobic bioreactors. A middle-thermophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacterium (SOB), Thiomonas sp. strain RAN5, was isolated and applied for H 2 S removal from both artificial and anaerobically digested gas. When a bioreactor containing medium inoculated with RAN5 was aerated continuously with artificial gas (containing 100 ppm H 2 S) at 45 C for 156 hr, the H 2 S concentration in the vented gas was reduced by 99%. This was not affected by the presence of other microbes in the bioreactor. The H 2 S removal efficiency of the RAN5 bioreactor for anaerobically digested gas was greater than 99% at influent H 2 S concentrations ranging from 2 to 1800 ppm; the efficiency decreased to 90% at influent H 2 S concentrations greater than 2000 ppm. Thiomonas sp. strain RAN5 cannot survive at room temperature, and thus its leakage from a wastewater treatment plant would not damage sewage systems. These data suggest that Thiomonas sp. strain RAN5 may be a useful microorganism for H 2 S removal.Implications: The hydrogen sulfide removal efficiency of the RAN5 bioreactor was greater than 99% over the long term, for influent H 2 S concentrations of up to 2000 ppm. Removal was not affected by the presence of other microbes. Leakage of strain RAN5 would not damage sewage systems.
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