Low cost and renewable H 2 S-biofilter inoculated with Trichoderma harzianum .

The use of biogas to produce hydrogen is currently gaining more attention. One of the drawbacks for the valorization of biogas is the presence of HS, a hazardous molecule that can cause damage in the metallic internal structures of industries. In this study, the HS-removal performance of a fungi-based biofilter was investigated. First, an HS-resistant fungal species was isolated from an industrial digestate and identified as . The capacity of this microorganism to metabolize HS in a mineral medium was confirmed. Then, a bioreactor was constructed and put in place to monitor the elimination of gaseous HS. A mix of cardboard, perlite, woodchips, and wood pellets was used as filling. Microbial development and the outlet gas composition were monitored during a 60-day experimental process during which HS was completely removed. 97% of the introduced sulphur was detected in the used filling material (fungal species + packing material) by elemental analysis. 24% of the detected sulphur was identified by ion-exchange chromatography as SO. Elemental analysis, gas chromatography, and ion-exchange chromatography were used to determine the bioreactor sulphur balance. Metagenomic analysis underlined that HS elimination was due to the presence of with a HS-specific bacterial consortium.