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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Toxicology, Pollution and the Environment
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1421510
This article is part of the Research Topic Waste to Energy and Environmental Materials View all 3 articles

Enhancing Landfill Gas Bio-Desulfurization: Operational Insights and Microbial Dynamics from the Daegu Bangcheon-ri Sanitary Landfill

Provisionally accepted
Eunsue Cho Eunsue Cho 1Young-Hyun You Young-Hyun You 2Chang-Gi Back Chang-Gi Back 3Ji Won Hong Ji Won Hong 4*
  • 1 Daesung Eco-Energy, Daegu, Republic of Korea
  • 2 National Institute of Biological Resources, Incheon, Republic of Korea
  • 3 Environmental Horticulture, Dankook University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
  • 4 Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study evaluates the efficacy of the Thiopaq bio-desulfurization system at the Daegu Bangcheon-ri Sanitary Landfill in Korea over one year focusing on operational insights and microbial dynamics. The system employs sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOBs) to convert hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in landfill gas (LFG) into elemental sulfur. Key findings include maintaining over 96% H2S removal efficiency despite operational challenges such as sulfur clogging and foam formation. Significant microbial community shifts were observed, with Thioalkalibacter halophilus remaining robust, Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii declining, and Halothiobacillus kellyi becoming more prominent, especially during new well installations with high thiol (methanethiol) concentrations. Scanning electron microscopy revealed distinct morphological characteristics of bio-sulfur under varying conditions contributing to process optimization. Our results underscore the necessity for continuous monitoring and adaptive management of microbial populations and system parameters to effectively handle fluctuating LFG compositions and operational conditions. This study provides substantial guidance for enhancing LFG quality and bio-sulfur production in large-scale landfills.

    Keywords: landfill gas management, Sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, Biological desulfurization, Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Compounds

    Received: 22 Apr 2024; Accepted: 08 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Cho, You, Back and Hong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ji Won Hong, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.