Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction by a sulfate reducing bacterium in NO and SO₂ scrubbing liquor.

A viable process concept, based on NO and SO2 absorption into an alkaline Fe(II)EDTA (EDTA: ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) solution in a scrubber combined with biological reduction of the absorbed SO2 utilizing sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and regeneration of the scrubbing liquor in a single bioreactor, was developed. The SRB, Desulfovibrio sp. CMX, was used and its sulfate reduction performances in FeEDTA solutions and Fe(II)EDTA-NO had been investigated. In this study, the detailed regeneration process of Fe(II)EDTA solution, which contained Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction processes in presence of D. sp. CMX and sulfate, was evaluated. Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction processes were primarily biological, even if Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO could also be chemically convert to Fe(II)EDTA by biogenic sulfide. Regardless presence or absence of sulfate, more than 87 % Fe(III)EDTA and 98 % Fe(II)EDTA-NO were reduced in 46 h, respectively. Sulfate and Fe(III)EDTA had no affection on Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction. Sulfate enhanced final Fe(III)EDTA reduction. Effect of Fe(III)EDTA on Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction rate was more obvious than effect of sulfate on Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction rate before 8 h. To overcome toxicity of Fe(II)EDTA-NO on SRB, Fe(II)EDTA-NO was reduced first and the reduction of Fe(III)EDTA and sulfate occurred after 2 h. First-order Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction rate and zero-order Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate were detected respectively before 8 h.