THE KINETICS OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE DEGRADATION IN ORGANIC SUBSTRATES

The hydrogen sulfide is emitted from many industrial activities but the major problem is associated with wastewater treating and waste landfilling. Biofiltration is a process in which microorganisms growing and immobilised on an organic porous material utilise biodegradable compounds. The microorganisms capable of oxidizing H2S are present in a large variety of environment and play an important role in global sulfur cycle. The aim of this paper was to compare the kinetics of H2S oxidation in a popular biofiltring material - municipal waste compost, and in an artificial organic base (POKON). The concentration of hydrogen sulfide ranged from 0 to 28 % v/v for compost and 0 to 48 % v/v for POKON tests. Experiment was carried out in static chambers in controlled laboratory conditions.