Volatile Organic Sulfur Compounds Research Articles

Research on an emergency treatment technology for black-odor water caused by macrophytes decaying

水草腐烂加速水体耗氧和水体还原性物质的溶出进程,在夏、秋季高温条件下极易引发局部水体黑臭.以太湖沉水植物优势种马来眼子菜(Potamogeton malaianus)、苦草(Vallisneria natans)及浮叶植物优势种莕菜(Nymphoides peltatum)为受试材料,利用太湖原位底泥培养模拟水草腐烂形成的黑臭水体,考察不同的环境材料处置方式(壳聚糖(CTS)、聚合氯化铝(PAC)、聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)、CTS+PAC和PAC+PAM)对黑臭水体浊度、溶解氧浓度、挥发性硫化物等黑臭水体特征污染物的絮凝沉降规律及去除机理.结果表明:(1)絮凝处理24 h后,CTS+PAC组合对黑臭水体的浊度去除效果最佳,浊度去除率达70.3%,上覆水溶解氧浓度明显提高,增加率为261.5%;(2)加石英砂悬浊液加速絮体沉淀,形成絮体之后加石英砂使水体浊度稳步下降,4 h之后,浊度去除率达74.9%,显著高于与絮凝剂一起加入的处理组(29.8%);(3)植物腐烂释放的含硫特征嗅味物质主要为硫化氢(H₂S)、甲硫醚和二甲基三硫醚.不同植物体腐烂释放的含硫挥发性有机物浓度差异显著,马来眼子菜释放的4种含硫有机物总和分别为莕菜和苦草释放的319.8%和252.2%;(4)CTS+PAC处理后苦草及马来眼子菜腐烂水体中挥发性有机硫化物浓度较对照组分别降低了18.6%和44.5%.PAC+PAM组合絮凝处理组对莕菜腐烂水体中H₂S有较好的去除效果,去除率达到52.4%.CTS+PAC絮凝剂组合处理的H₂S浓度均低于对照组,苦草、马来眼子菜和莕菜腐烂后黑臭水体中H₂S浓度分别降低了27.4%、41.0%和28.6%.CTS+PAC组合对H₂S和二甲基硫醚类物质等致臭物释放的抑制效果优于PAC+PAM组合絮凝处理.;Aquatic plants decaying will accelerate the process of dissolved oxygen depletion and promote the dissolution of reducing substance, which can easily lead to partial water black-odor in a hot summer. In this study, dominant species of submerged plants Potamogeton malaianus, Vallisneria natans and floating-leaved dominant species Nymphoides peltatum in Lake Taihu were selected as test material. Then the macrophytes decayed in cylindrical sediment in the culture system in which simulated conditions in situ. The black-odor waters were formed to study the flocculation and sedimentation kinetics, removal mechanism of water turbidity, volatile sulfide, dissolved oxygen and other water and soil interface characteristics which were treated with different environmental material disposals(chitosan(CTS), poly aluminum chloride(PAC), polyacrylamide(PAM), CTS+PAC and PAC+PAM). The results suggest that:(1) After 24 h, the turbidity removal of black smelly water treated by CTS+PAC was optimal, when turbidity removal rate was 70.3%. The CTS+PAC combination can increase the dissolved oxygen in overlying water more significantly than other environmental material disposals, and the increase rate is 261.5%.(2) Taking flocculation experiments by joining flocculants in the black smelly water with different flocculants, the suspension of quartz sand was added at different timing. Quartz sand suspension can accelerate flocculant precipitation, adding quartz sand before flocculant is significantly better than after it with turbidity removal rate 74.9% compared to 29.8%.(3) Sulfur characteristic odor compounds released by decay aquatic plants are mainly hydrogen sulfide(H₂S), dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl trisulfide. volatile organic sulfur compounds(VOSCs) released by difference decayed plants was significantly different. The sum of the four forms of organic sulfur released from Potamogeton malaianus were 319.8% of Nymphoides peltatum and 252.2% of biter grass.(4) Volatile organic sulfur compounds contents of Vallisneria natans and Potamogeton malaianus decaying water treated by CTS+PAC was reduced by 18.6% and 44.5%. Treatment PAC+PAM has a good deodorizing effect on Nymphoides peltatum for the removal rate of H₂S reached 52.4% when treatment CTS+PAC affected both three kind of plants. The content of H₂S reduced by 27.4%, 41.0% and 28.6% in Vallisneria natans, Potamogeton malaianus and Nymphoides peltatum, respectively. The inhibitory effect of odorant(such as H₂S and dimethyl sulfide) in treatment CTS+PAC was higher than that in treatment PAC+PAM.

Removal of volatile organic sulfur compounds by aeration during algae-induced black blooms in shallow lakes

High levels of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) have frequently been detected during algae-induced black blooms, which pose an ecological threat to water bodies and their surrounding residents. In this study, aeration was applied to remove the VOSCs after the outbreak of a black bloom. The removal efficiencies under different aeration rates (A1 (0.06 m3-air min−1 m−3), A2 (0.18 m3-air min−1 m−3), and A3 (0.54 m3-air min−1 m−3)) were compared. For treatments A2 and A3, the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) and the oxidation-reduction potential (Eh) increased sharply after 1 h of aeration, and about 70% of the VOSCs were removed from the water columns; however, for treatment A1, the increases in DO and Eh and the rate of removal of VOSCs were slower. The ultimate removal rate of VOSCs was >99% for all the aerated treatments after 24 h. The alteration of the oxidation-reduction conditions, induced by the aeration, could be the primary reason for the removal of the VOSCs. Thus, aeration treatment might be a feasible technique for the removal of VOSCs after the outbreak of black blooms in waterworks and some shallow lakes.

Characterization of the novel dimethyl sulfide-degrading bacterium Alcaligenes sp. SY1 and its biochemical degradation pathway

Recently, the biodegradation of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) has become a burgeoning field, with a growing focus on the reduction of VOSCs. The reduction of VOSCs encompasses both organic emission control and odor control. Herein, Alcaligenes sp. SY1 was isolated from active sludge and found to utilize dimethyl sulfide (DMS) as a growth substrate in a mineral salt medium. Response surface methodology (RSM) analysis was applied to optimize the incubation conditions. The following conditions for optimal degradation were identified: temperature 27.03°C; pH 7.80; inoculum salinity 0.84%; and initial DMS concentration 1585.39μM. Under these conditions, approximately 99% of the DMS was degraded within 30h of incubation. Two metabolic compounds were detected and identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS): dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS). The DMS degradation kinetics for different concentrations were evaluated using the Haldane–Andrews model and the pseudo first-order model. The maximum specific growth rate and degradation rate of Alcaligenes sp. SY1 were 0.17h−1 and 0.63gsgx−1h−1. A possible degradation pathway is proposed, and the results suggest that Alcaligenes sp. SY1 has the potential to control odor emissions under aerobic conditions.

Improved quantification of livestock associated odorous volatile organic compounds in a standard flow-through system using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Aerial emissions of odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are an important nuisance factor from livestock production systems. Reliable air sampling and analysis methods are needed to develop and test odor mitigation technologies. Quantification of VOCs responsible for livestock odor remains an analytical challenge due to physicochemical properties of VOCs and the requirement for low detection thresholds. A new air sampling and analysis method was developed for testing of odor/VOCs mitigation in simulated livestock emissions system. A flow-through standard gas generating system simulating odorous VOCs in livestock barn emissions was built on laboratory scale and tested to continuously generate ten odorous VOCs commonly defining livestock odor. Standard VOCs included sulfur VOCs (S-VOCs), volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and p-cresol. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was optimized for sampling of diluted odorous gas mixtures in the moving air followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. CAR/PDMS 85μm fiber was shown to have the best sensitivity for the target odorous VOCs. A practical 5-min sampling time was selected to ensure optimal extraction of VFAs and p-cresol, as well as minimum displacement of S-VOCs. Method detection limits ranged from 0.39 to 2.64ppbv for S-VOCs, 0.23 to 0.77ppbv for VFAs, and 0.31ppbv for p-cresol. The method developed was applied to quantify VOCs and odorous VOC mitigation with UV light treatment. The measured concentrations ranged from 20.1 to 815ppbv for S-VOCs, 10.3 to 315ppbv for VFAs, and 4.73 to 417ppbv for p-cresol. Relative standard deviations between replicates ranged from 0.67% to 12.9%, 0.50% to 11.4%, 0.83% to 5.14% for S-VOCs, VFAs, and p-cresol, respectively. This research shows that a simple manual SPME sampler could be used successfully for quantification of important classes of odorous VOCs at concentrations relevant for real aerial emissions from livestock operations.

Effect of Methanethiol Concentration on Sulfur Production in Biological Desulfurization Systems under Haloalkaline Conditions

Bioremoval of H2S from gas streams became popular in recent years because of high process efficiency and low operational costs. To expand the scope of these processes to gas streams containing volatile organic sulfur compounds, like thiols, it is necessary to provide new insights into their impact on overall biodesulfurization process. Published data on the effect of thiols on biodesulfurization processes are scarce. In this study, we investigated the effect of methanethiol on the selectivity for sulfur production in a bioreactor integrated with a gas absorber. This is the first time that the inhibition of biological sulfur formation by methanethiol is investigated. In our reactor system, inhibition of sulfur production started to occur at a methanethiol loading rate of 0.3 mmol L(-1) d(-1). The experimental results were also described by a mathematical model that includes recent findings on the mode of biomass inhibition by methanethiol. We also found that the negative effect of methanethiol can be mitigated by lowering the salinity of the bioreactor medium. Furthermore, we developed a novel approach to measure the biological activity by sulfide measurements using UV-spectrophotometry. On the basis of this measurement method, it is possible to accurately estimate the unknown kinetic parameters in the mathematical model.

Aboveground and Belowground Herbivores Synergistically Induce Volatile Organic Sulfur Compound Emissions from Shoots but Not from Roots.

Studies on aboveground (AG) plant organs have shown that volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions differ between simultaneous attack by herbivores and single herbivore attack. There is growing evidence that interactive effects of simultaneous herbivory also occur across the root-shoot interface. In our study, Brassica rapa roots were infested with root fly larvae (Delia radicum) and the shoots infested with Pieris brassicae, either singly or simultaneously, to study these root-shoot interactions. As an analytical platform, we used Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) to investigate VOCs over a 3 day time period. Our set-up allowed us to monitor root and shoot emissions concurrently on the same plant. Focus was placed on the sulfur-containing compounds; methanethiol, dimethylsulfide (DMS), and dimethyldisulfide (DMDS), because these compounds previously have been shown to be biologically active in the interactions of Brassica plants, herbivores, parasitoids, and predators, yet have received relatively little attention. The shoots of plants simultaneously infested with AG and belowground (BG) herbivores emitted higher levels of sulfur-containing compounds than plants with a single herbivore species present. In contrast, the emission of sulfur VOCs from the plant roots increased as a consequence of root herbivory, independent of the presence of an AG herbivore. The onset of root emissions was more rapid after damage than the onset of shoot emissions. The shoots of double infested plants also emitted higher levels of methanol. Thus, interactive effects of root and shoot herbivores exhibit more strongly in the VOC emissions from the shoots than from the roots, implying the involvement of specific signaling interactions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10886-015-0601-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Precontrol of algae-induced black blooms through sediment dredging at appropriate depth in a typical eutrophic shallow lake

Algae-induced black blooms, which trigger both the collapse of lake ecosystems and crises in urban water supplies, have become a serious ecological problem in numerous eutrophic shallow lakes. Therefore, preventing and suppressing the outbreak of black blooms is critical for maintaining the health of lake ecosystems. In this study, sediment dredging was employed as a black bloom precontrol method, and the effects of different dredging depths (0cm, 7.5cm, 12.5cm, and 22.5cm) were compared regarding the prevention of black bloom formation. Drained algae (mostly cyanobacteria) were added to these treatments at a density of 5000g/m2. The main physical and chemical characteristics of the water and sediment important for black blooms were analyzed during the study. The results showed that dredging was unable to suppress the offensive odor of the algal bloom. High concentrations of volatile organic sulfur compounds due to algal decomposition were detected in all of the added-algae treatments. Black blooms occurred in the undredged (UDR), 7.5cm dredged (7.5DR), and 12.5cm dredged (12.5DR) treatments but did not occur in the 22.5cm dredged (22.5DR) treatment. Therefore, black blooms can be suppressed by sediment dredging at an appropriate depth (22.5cm in the current study). The ∑H2S concentrations in the water samples of the 22.5DR treatment were remarkably lower than in the other added-algae treatments during the experiment. Hence, ∑H2S, as compared to DO, Eh, pH, and Fe2+, was considered as the most important limiting factor in the overlying water for black blooms. Two major reasons may have caused the low ∑H2S concentrations and suppressed the black blooms: (a) low levels of acid-volatile sulfide in the sediment after dredging (22.5cm) may have reduced the release of hydrogen sulfide to the overlying water, and (b) the low porosity (≤60.5%) observed after dredging is unconducive to pollutant diffusion and migration in sediments, which may have suppressed the release of Fe2+ and ∑H2S into the overlying water.

Determination of VOSCs in sewer headspace air using TD–GC–SCD

The management of odorous emissions from sewer networks has become an important issue for sewer operators resulting in the need to better understand the composition of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs). In order to characterise the composition of such malodorous emissions, a method based on thermal desorption (TD) and gas chromatography coupled to sulfur chemiluminescence detector (GC–SCD) has been developed to determine a broader range of VOSCs, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methanethiol (MeSH), ethanethiol (EtSH), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), carbon disulfide (CS2), ethylmethyl sulfide (EMS), 1-butanethiol (1-BuSH), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), diethyl disulfide (DEDS), and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS). Parameters affecting the chromatographic behaviour of the target compounds were studied (e.g., temperature program, carrier gas velocity) as well as the experimental conditions affecting the adsorption/desorption process (temperature, flow and time). Optimised extraction of VOSCs samples was achieved under adsorption temperatures of less than −20°C, and a desorption flow rate of ~6ml/min. Active collection on the cold trap enabled a small gas volume of 50–100ml to be sampled for all analytes without breakthrough. Calibration curves were derived at different TD loading volumes with determined linearity ranging between 0.09ng and 60.1ng. The method detection limits (MDLs) were in the range of 0.10–5.26μg/m3 with TD recoveries higher than 66% and reproducibility (relative standard deviation values) between 1.8% and 6.1% being obtained for all compounds. The VOSCs characterisation at different sewerage collection sites in Sydney, Australia (for seasonal, weekly and diurnal) showed that six of the ten targeted compounds were consistently detected at all sample events. Diurnal patterns of VOSCs investigated were clearly observed with the highest concentration occurring after 12pm (noon) for H2S and MeSH. The consecutive 5 day analysis showed no significant difference in the targeted VOSCs concentrations and demonstrated the suitability of the method for routine sewer VOSCs emission measurements.

In situ solvothermal growth of metal-organic framework-5 supported on porous copper foam for noninvasive sampling of plant volatile sulfides.

The present study reported on an in situ solvothermal growth method for immobilization of metal-organic framework MOF-5 on porous copper foam support for enrichment of plant volatile sulfides. The porous copper support impregnated with mother liquor of MOF-5 anchors the nucleation and growth of MOF crystallites at its surface, and its architecture of the three-dimensional channel enables accommodation of the MOF-5 crystallite seed. A continuous and well-intergrown MOF-5 layer, evidenced from scanning electron microscope imaging and X-ray diffraction, was successfully immobilized on the porous metal bar with good adhesion and high stability. Results show that the resultant MOF-5 coating was thermally stable up to 420 °C and robust enough for replicate extraction for at least 200 times. The MOF-5 bar was then applied to the headspace sorptive extraction of the volatile organic sulfur compounds in Chinese chive and garlic sprout in combination with thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. It showed high extraction sensitivity and good selectivity to these plant volatile sulfides owing to the extraordinary porosity of the metal-organic framework as well as the interaction between the S-donor sites and the surface cations at the crystal edges. Several primary sulfur volatiles containing allyl methyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, diallyl sulfide, methyl allyl disulfide, and diallyl disulfide were quantified. Their limits of detection were found to be in the range of 0.2-1.7 μg/L. The organic sulfides were detected in the range of 6.0-23.8 μg/g with recoveries of 76.6-100.2% in Chinese chive and 11.4-54.6 μg/g with recoveries of 77.1-99.8% in garlic sprout. The results indicate the immobilization of MOF-5 on copper foam provides an efficient enrichment formats for noninvasive sampling of plant volatiles.

Degradation of ethyl mercaptan and its major intermediate diethyl disulfide by Pseudomonas sp. strain WL2

A Pseudomonas sp. strain WL2 that is able to efficiently metabolize ethyl mercaptan (EM) into diethyl disulfide (DEDS) through enzymatic oxidation was isolated from the activated sludge of a pharmaceutical wastewater plant. One hundred percent removal of 113.5 mg L(-1) EM and 110.3 mg L(-1) DEDS were obtained within 14 and 32 h, respectively. A putative EM degradation pathway that involved the catabolism via DEDS was proposed, which indicated DEDS were further mineralized into carbon dioxide (CO2), bacterial cells, and sulfate (SO4 (2-)) through the transformation of element sulfur and ethyl aldehyde. Degradation kinetics for EM and DEDS with different initial concentrations by strain WL2 were evaluated using Haldane-Andrews model with maximum specific degradation rates of 3.13 and 1.33 g g(-1) h(-1), respectively, and maximum degradation rate constants of 0.522 and 0.175 h(-1) using pseudo-first-order kinetic model were obtained. Results obtained that aerobic degradation of EM by strain WL2 was more efficient than those from previous studies. Substrate range studies of strain WL2 demonstrated its ability to degrade several mercaptans, disulfides, aldehydes, and methanol. All the results obtained highlight the potential of strain WL2 for the use in the biodegradation of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs).

Characteristics and Adsorption of Volatile Organic Sulfur Compounds from Food Waste Processing Plant

The emission characteristics of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) released from food waste processing plant were detected with cold enrichment-GC/MS. Four main sections of the plant including unloading room, crushing chamber, hydrothermal reactor and aerobic fermentation reactor were selected as sampling points. Results showed that the concentration of VOSCs of the four main sections were 0.085, 0.235, 1.175 and 0.245 mg/m3, respectively. Compared with other stages, the level of VOSCs of hydrothermal reactor was relatively high, and methyl mercaptan (MeSH) was the most abundant compound at this section. In order to remove the pollution of MeSH, modified activated carbon was used as the adsorbent. The influences of modified conditions, such as drying temperature, H3PO4 concentration and impregnated time on adsorption were investigated. Results showed that the amounts of acid groups and BET surface area of activated carbon had a significant impact on the adsorption capacity. When the drying temperature was 70°C, the H3PO4 concentration was 15% and the impregnated time was 3.0 h, the adsorption capacity of MeSH achieved the maximum value of 22.068 mg/g. This template explains and demonstrates how to prepare your camera-ready paper for Trans Tech Publications. The best is to read these instructions and follow the outline of this text.

Integration of advanced oxidation processes at mild conditions in wet scrubbers for odourous sulphur compounds treatment

The effectiveness of different advanced oxidation processes on the treatment of a multicomponent aqueous solution containing ethyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl disulphide (0.5mgL−1 of each sulphur compound) was investigated with the objective to assess which one is the most suitable treatment to be coupled in wet scrubbers used in odour treatment facilities. UV/H2O2, Fenton, photo-Fenton and ozone treatments were tested at mild conditions and the oxidation efficiency obtained was compared. The oxidation tests were carried out in magnetically stirred cylindrical quartz reactors using the same molar concentration of oxidants (hydrogen peroxide or ozone). The results show that ozone and photo-Fenton are the most efficient treatments, achieving up to 95% of sulphur compounds oxidation and a mineralisation degree around 70% in 10min. Furthermore, the total costs of the treatments taking into account the capital and operational costs were also estimated for a comparative purpose. The economic analysis revealed that the Fenton treatment is the most economical option to be integrated in a wet scrubber to remove volatile organic sulphur compounds, as long as there are no space constraints to install the required reactor volume. In the case of reactor volume limitation or retrofitting complexities, the ozone and photo-Fenton treatments should be considered as viable alternatives.

Beyond hypoxia: Occurrence and characteristics of black blooms due to the decomposition of the submerged plant Potamogeton crispus in a shallow lake

Organic matter-induced black blooms (hypoxia and an offensive odor) are a serious ecosystem disasters that have occurred in some large eutrophic shallow lakes in China. In this study, we investigated two separate black blooms that were induced by Potamogeton crispus in Lake Taihu, China. The main physical and chemical characteristics, including color- and odor-related substances, of the black blooms were analyzed. The black blooms were characterized by low dissolved oxygen concentration (close to 0 mg/L), low oxidation-reduction potential, and relatively low pH of overlying water. Notably higher Fe2+ and ΣS2− were found in the black-bloom waters than in waters not affected by black blooms. The black color of the water may be attributable to the high concentration of these elements, as black FeS was considered to be the main substance causing the black color of blooms in freshwater lakes. Volatile organic sulfur compounds, including dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and dimethyl trisulfide, were very abundant in the black-bloom waters. The massive anoxic degradation of dead Potamogeton crispus plants released dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and dimethyl trisulfide, which were the main odor-causing compounds in the black blooms. The black blooms also induced an increase in ammonium nitrogen and soluble reactive phosphorus levels in the overlying waters. This extreme phenomenon not only heavily influenced the original lake ecosystem but also greatly changed the cycling of Fe, S, and nutrients in the water column.

Halitosis: a review of the etiologic factors and association with systemic conditions and its management.

Halitosis is a general term defined as an unpleasant or offensive odor emanating from the breath, arising from either oral or nonoral sources. Extraoral factors, such as ear-nose-throat conditions or gastrointestinal, respiratory, and systemic diseases, may also contribute to oral malodor. Although, halitosis has a multifactorial etiology, local factors play an important role in the majority of cases. Halitosis may lead to significant personal discomfort and social embarrassment. Assessment of halitosis can be performed using organoleptic measurements, sulfide monitoring, gas chromatography, microbial testing and chemical test strips. Management approaches are based on masking oral malodor, reducing the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), and mechanical and/or chemical treatment. This review aims to identify the etiology of oral halitosis, describe the methods available for assessment and differential diagnosis and introduce a variety of management strategies. The importance of a multidisciplinary approach for the improvement of overall health and for the management and prevention of halitosis is highlighted.

An efficient method for measuring dissolved VOSCs in wastewater using GC–SCD with static headspace technique

Volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) are important sources of unpleasant odor in wastewater systems. However, the study of VOSCs is usually hindered by their complicated measurement method and highly reactive nature. In this work, a static headspace method utilising gas chromatography (GC) with a sulfur chemiluminescence detector (SCD) was developed to quantitatively analyze VOSCs in wastewater matrices. The method has low detection limits and requires no pre-concentration treatment. Three typical VOSCs, namely methanethiol (MT), dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), were chosen as examples for this study. The calibration curves of all three compounds covering a wide range from 0.5 ppb to 500 ppb showed good linearity (R2 > 0.999). The method detection limits (MDL) were 0.08, 0.12 and 0.21 ppb for MT, DMS and DMDS, respectively. The reproducibility (relative standard deviation) was approximately 2%. The recovery ratio of MT, DMS and DMDS in spiked wastewater samples were 83 ± 4%, 103 ± 4% and 102 ± 3%, respectively. Sample preservation tests showed that VOSCs in wastewater samples could be preserved in vials without headspace under acidified conditions (pH ∼1.1) for at least 24 h without significant changes (<1.8 ppb). The analysis of real wastewater samples from both a laboratory-scale sewer system and a full-scale sewer pipe demonstrated the suitability of this method for routine wastewater VOSC measurement.

Odour reduction strategies for biosolids produced from a Western Australian wastewater treatment plant: results from Phase I laboratory trials

This study investigated sources of odours from biosolids produced from a Western Australian wastewater treatment plant and examined possible strategies for odour reduction, specifically chemical additions and reduction of centrifuge speed on a laboratory scale. To identify the odorous compounds and assess the effectiveness of the odour reduction measures trialled in this study, headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS SPME-GC-MS) methods were developed. The target odour compounds included volatile sulphur compounds (e.g. dimethyl sulphide, dimethyl disulphide and dimethyl trisulphide) and other volatile organic compounds (e.g. toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, p-cresol, indole and skatole). In our laboratory trials, aluminium sulphate added to anaerobically digested sludge prior to dewatering offered the best odour reduction strategy amongst the options that were investigated, resulting in approximately 40% reduction in the maximum concentration of the total volatile organic sulphur compounds, relative to control.

The effect of direct addition of iron(III) on anaerobic digestion efficiency and odor causing compounds

The role of iron addition to sewage sludge prior to anaerobic digestion was evaluated to determine the effect of iron on digestion performance and generation of odor-causing compounds. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) were the odorous gases evaluated in this study. Samples were obtained from seven municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and batch anaerobic digestion tests were conducted using primary and secondary sludges at 30 day solids retention time (SRT) under mesophilic conditions. Volatile solid removal (VSR) was highly predictable with background iron concentrations measured in the combined sludge. They were likely to increase as influent iron content increased. 1.25% w/w ferric chloride (FeCl3) was added to the anaerobic digester feed in order to simulate iron addition for sulfide control in full-scale WWTPs. The results showed that it had a positive impact on digestion performance with higher VSR and odor control with reduced H2S and TVOSCs in the headspace gas of dewatered biosolids considered in the tests. Ferric chloride is considered a beneficial additive as a strategy for an odor mitigation, not to mention more efficient digestion under anaerobic conditions.

Quadruple sulfur isotope constraints on the origin and cycling of volatile organic sulfur compounds in a stratified sulfidic lake

We have quantified the major forms of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) distributed in the water column of stratified freshwater Fayetteville Green Lake (FGL), to evaluate the biogeochemical pathways involved in their production. The lake’s anoxic deep waters contain high concentrations of sulfate (12–16mmolL−1) and sulfide (0.12μmolL−1 to 1.5mmolL−1) with relatively low VOSC concentrations, ranging from 0.1nmolL−1 to 2.8μmolL−1. Sulfur isotope measurements of combined volatile organic sulfur compounds demonstrate that VOSC species are formed primarily from reduced sulfur (H2S/HS−) and zero-valent sulfur (ZVS), with little input from sulfate. Thedata support a role of a combination of biological and abiotic processes in formation of carbon–sulfur bonds between reactive sulfur species and methyl groups of lignin components. These processes are responsible for very fast turnover of VOSC species, maintaining their low levels in FGL. No dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) was detected by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) in the lake water column or in planktonic extracts. These observations indicate a pathway distinct from oceanic and coastal marine environments, where dimethylsulfide (DMS) and other VOSC species are principally produced via the breakdown of DMSP by plankton species.

Activities of methionine-&amp;gamma;-lyase in the acidophilic archaeon &amp;ldquo;Ferroplasma acidarmanus&amp;rdquo; strain fer1

Biogeochemical processes on exposed pyrite ores result in extremely high levels of sulfuric acid at these locations. Acidophiles that thrive in these conditions must overcome significant challenges, including an environment with proton concentrations at pH 3 or below. The role of sulfur metabolism in the archaeon Ferroplasma acidarmanus strain fer1's ability to thrive in this environment was investigated due to its growth-dependent production of methanethiol, a volatile organic sulfur compound. Two putative sequences for methionine- Γ-lyase (EC 4.4.1.11), an enzyme known to carry out A,Γ-elimination on L-methionine to produce methanethiol, were identified in fer1. Bioinformatic analyses identified a conserved pyridoxal-5+-phosphate (PLP) binding domain and a partially conserved catalytic domain in both putative sequences. Detection of PLP-dependent and L-methionine-dependent production of A-keto compounds and thiol groups in fer1 confirmed the presence of methionine-Γ-lyase activity. Further, fer1 lysate was capable of processing related substrates, including D-methionine, L-cysteine, L-cystathionine, and L/D-homocysteine. When the two putative fer1 methionine-Γ- lyase gene-coded proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli cells, one sequence demonstrated an ability to carry out A, Γ-elimination activity, while the other exhibited Γ-replacement activity. These fer1 methionine-Γ-lyases also exhibited optimum pH, substrate specificity, and catalytic preferences that are different from methionine-Γ-lyases from other organisms. These differences are discussed in the context of molecular phylogeny constructed using a maximum likelihood algorithm based on methionine-Γ-lyase sequences from a diverse selection of organisms.

Sulfur-containing amino acid methionine as the precursor of volatile organic sulfur compounds in algea-induced black bloom

After the application of methionine, a progressive and significant increase occurred in five volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs): methanethiol (MeSH), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) and dimethyl tetrasulfide (DMTeS). Even in the untreated control without a methionine addition, methionine and its catabolites (VOSCs, mainly DMDS) were found in considerable amounts that were high enough to account for the water's offensive odor. However, blackening only occurred in two methionine-amended treatments. The VOSCs production was observed to precede black color development, and the reaching of a peak value for total VOSCs was often followed by water blackening. The presence of glucose stimulated the degradation of methionine while postponing the occurrence of the black color and inhibiting the production of VOSCs. In addition, DMDS was found to be the most abundant species produced after the addition of methionine alone, and DMTeS appeared to be the most important compound produced after the addition of methionine+glucose. These results suggest that methionine acted as an important precursor of the VOSCs in lakes suffering from algea-induced black bloom. The existence of glucose may change the transformation pathway of methionine into VOSCs to form larger molecular weight compounds, such as DMTS and DMTeS.