Biodesulphurization of natural gas in a three-phase fluidized bed bioreactor using Thiobacillus dentrificans

Abstract

Natural gas from well head contain a number of undesirable components including hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), which can be removed by anaerobic desulphurization process using three-phase fluidized bed bioreactor. Optimum H₂S removal (90.89%, w/w) was obtained at following parameters: H₂S conc., 0. 55 ì M /l; loading rate, 6.05 ì M /min; contact time, 12 h; pH, 7.0; temperature, 45°C and feed and culture flow rate, 11 l/ min. Methane (CH₄) gas of natural gas acts as a sole carbon source to bacteria and maximum bacterial growth is observed as 9.93 ´ 10⁸ numbers of cells/ml.