Synthetic microbial consortia to enhance the biodegradation of compost odor by biotrickling filter

[Display omitted] •Synthetic microbial consortia in Biological Trickling Filter (BTF) improves odor treatment efficiency.•Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Schizophyllum commune strains combined to create the consortia.•BTF with synthetic microbial consortia removes 92.43% ammonia and 92.75% hydrogen sulfide.•Improved removal rates of p-methyl mercaptan, methyl sulfide, and dimethyl disulfide achieved.•Dominant bacterial genera in the BTF include Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Flavobacterium, and others. Composting generates odorous gases, including ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Biological Trickling Filter (BTF) is effective for odor treatment, but it may have limitations with hydrophobic VOCs. In this study, a strain of Bacillus subtilis with ammonia-reducing ability, a strain of Bacillus cereus with desulfurization ability and a strain of Schizophyllum commune with the ability to degrade dimethyl disulfide were isolated and screened. The three strains were combined to create synthetic microbial consortia for enhancing odor treatment in the BTF. Compared to the activated sludge control, the BTF with synthetic microbial consortia removed 92.43% ammonia, 92.75% hydrogen sulfide. Furthermore, it demonstrated a significant improvement in the removal rates of p-methyl mercaptan, methyl sulfide, and dimethyl disulfide. High-throughput sequencing was conducted on the fillers of the synthetic microbial consortia-inoculated BTF to analyze the microbial community composition.