Characteristics of Sulfur Oxidation by a Newly Isolated Burkholderia spp.

The role of an effective microbial species is critical to the successful application of biological processes to remove sulfur compounds. A bacterial strain was isolated from the soil of a malodorous site and identified as Burkholderia spp. This isolate was able to oxidize thiosulfate to sulfate, with simultaneous pH decrease and accumulation of elemental sulfur. The specific growth rate and the sulfate oxidation rate using the thiosulfate basal medium were $0.003 h^{-1}\;and\;3.7 h^{-1}$, respectively. The isolated strain was mixotrophic, and supplementation of $0.2\%$ (w/v) of yeast extract to the thiosulfate-basal medium increased the specific growth rate by 50-fold. However, the rate of sulfate oxidation was more than ten times higher without yeast extract. The isolate grew best at pH 7.0 and $30^{\circ}C$, and the sulfate oxidation rate was the highest at 0.12 M sodium thiosulfate. In an upflow biofilter, the isolated strain was able to degrade $H_2S\;with\;88\%$ efficiency at 8 ppm and 121/h of incoming gas concentration and flow rate, respectively. The cell density at the bottom of the column reached $3.2{\times}10^8$ CFU/(g bead) at a gas flow rate of 121/h.