H2S removal and microbial community composition in an anoxic biotrickling filter under autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions

[Display omitted] •Removal of H2S and NO3− was tested in an anoxic biotrickling filter (BTF).•Thiobacillus was the only sulfur-oxidizing nitrate-reducing (SO-NR) genus detected.•Microbial community composition was different at different H2S and NO3− loads.•Adding acetate to the BTF decreased H2S removal, while NO3− removal increased.•Acetate did not affect sulfur balance, but affected nitrogen and carbon balances. Removal of H2S from gas streams using NO3−–containing synthetic wastewater was investigated in an anoxic biotrickling filter (BTF) at feed N/S ratios of 1.2–1.7 mol mol−1 with an empty bed residence time of 3.5 min and a hydraulic retention time of 115 min. During 108 days of operation under autotrophic conditions, the BTF showed a maximum elimination capacity (EC) of 19.2 g S m−3 h−1 and H2S removal efficiency (RE) >99%. When the BTF was operated under mixotrophic conditions by adding organic carbon (10.2 g acetate m−3 h−1) to the synthetic wastewater, the H2S EC decreased from 16.4 to 13.1 g S m−3 h−1, while the NO3− EC increased from 9.9 to 11.1 g NO3−–N m−3 h−1, respectively. Thiobacillus sp. (98–100% similarity) was the only sulfur–oxidizing nitrate–reducing bacterium detected in the BTF biofilm, while the increased abundance of heterotrophic denitrifiers, i.e. Brevundimonas sp. and Rhodocyclales, increased the N/S ratio during BTF operation. Residence time distribution tests showed that biomass accumulation during BTF operation reduced gas and liquid retention times by 17.1% and 83.5%, respectively.