An innovative process of simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification by Thiobacillus denitrificans.

Thiobacillus denitrificans, a species of autotrophic facultative anaerobic bacterium, was found to be capable of oxidizing sulfide into elemental sulfur when nitrate was adopted as its electron acceptor and carbon dioxide as its sole carbon source under anoxic conditions. In this way, sulfur was accumulated extracellularly and nitrate was converted into nitrogen gas. Based on these special physiological characteristics, an innovative process of simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification (SDD) was developed to obtain sulfur from sulfide.

[Formation of an acetic-acid type microbial metabolism pathway and its stability during the course of sulfate-reduction].

Continuous-flow experiment was conducted in an acidogenic sulfate-reducing reactor supplied with molasses as sole carbon resource and sulfate sodium as electron acceptor. The composition of Volatile fat acid(VFA) in terminal liquid products, the distribution of acetic acid, the existence of microbial populations and the interspecific relationship between sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and acidogenic bacteria (AB) were investigated in different experimental stages when sulfate removal rate and gas production maintained at a relatively stable status. The experimental results showed that an acetic-acid type microbial metabolism pathway was formed based on the fact that the proportion of acetic acid in terminal liquid products was as high as 50% to 82%.