Hydrogen sulphide removal from gas streams in a new rotating bed biofilm reactor

A full scale prototype of an innovative MBBTF (Moving Bed BioTrickling Filter) for gaseous effluents treatment was designed and installed in a tannery wastewater treatment plant (Cuoiodepur, Pisa - Italy). The prototype treats 8000 m3 h-1 of gaseous effluent in average with an hydrogen sulphide concentration of up to 300 mg m3.The reactor was operated for 6 months in varying conditions (with an average removal in the range 10 to 18 Kg S-H2S d-1) and the rotation of the bed was demonstrated to be a suitable solution to promote the detachment of biomass and, as a result, for the control of pressure headloss caused by biofilm growth. This work report on the start-up phase and on the preliminary evaluation of the process conditions including pH, recirculated water flow rate and rotation frequency.