H2S gas biological removal efficiency and bacterial community diversity in biofilter treating wastewater odor

► The present study aimed at assessing the performance of biofilter packed with peat to treat H2S gas. ► The diversity of the microbial community in the biofilter bed was also evaluated by means of SSCP. ► The removal efficiency of H2S reached to 99%, at an EBRT of 60s. ► SSCP profiles demonstrated significant changes in community structure between layers of peat. ► The peat bed may have potential application in H2S biofiltration system. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of using a biofilter system to treat hydrogen sulfide (H2S) contaminated air and to characterize its microbial community. The biofilter system was packed with peat. During the experimental work, the peat was divided in three layers (down, middle, and up). Satisfactory removal efficiencies of H2S were proved and reached 99% for the majority of the run time at an empty bed retention time (EBRT) of 60s. The polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) method was used to uncover the changes in the microbial community between the different layers. Analysis of SSCP profiles demonstrated significant differences in community structure from a layer to another with a strong decrease in species diversity towards the up layer. It was found that the used support was suitable for microorganism growth, and may have a potential application in H2S biofiltration system.