Mercury removal from flue gas using nitrate as an electron acceptor in a membrane biofilm reactor

doi:10.1007/s11783-021-1454-y

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

2022, Vol. 16

Issue (2) : 20 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1454-y

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Mercury removal from flue gas using nitrate as an electron acceptor in a membrane biofilm reactor

Zaishan Wei(

), Meiru Tang, Zhenshan Huang, Huaiyong Jiao

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Guangzhou 510275, China

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Abstract

Membrane bioreactor achieved mercury removal using nitrate as an electron acceptor.

The biological mercury oxidation increased with the increase of oxygen concentration.

Ferrous sulfide could make both Hg²⁺ and MeHg transform into HgS-like substances.

Nitrate drives mercury oxidation through katE, katG, nar, nir, nor, and nos.

Mercury (Hg⁰) is a hazardous air pollutant for its toxicity, and bioaccumulation. This study reported that membrane biofilm reactor achieved mercury removal from flue gas using nitrate as the electron acceptor. Hg⁰ removal efficiency was up to 88.7% in 280 days of operation. Oxygen content in flue gas affected mercury redox reactions, mercury biooxidation and microbial methylation. The biological mercury oxidation increased with the increase of oxygen concentration (2%‒17%), methylation of mercury reduced with the increase of oxygen concentration. The dominant bacteria at oxygen concentration of 2%, 6%, 17%, 21% were Halomonas, Anaerobacillus, Halomonas and Pseudomonas, respectively. The addition of ferrous sulfide could immobilize Hg²⁺ effectively, and make both Hg²⁺ and MeHg transform into HgS-like substances, which could achieve the inhibition effect of methylation, and promote conversion of mercury. The dominant bacteria changed from Halomonas to Planctopirus after FeS addition. Nitrate drives mercury oxidation through katE, katG, nar, nir, nor, and nos for Hg⁰ removal in flue gas.

Keywords Mercury removal Oxygen Ferrous sulfide Transformation of mercury Microbial community

Corresponding Author(s): Zaishan Wei

Issue Date: 28 May 2021

Cite this article:

Zaishan Wei,Meiru Tang,Zhenshan Huang, et al. Mercury removal from flue gas using nitrate as an electron acceptor in a membrane biofilm reactor[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2022, 16(2): 20.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-021-1454-y
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2022/V16/I2/20

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of the membrane biofilm reactor experiment system: ① air compressor; ② Hg⁰ gas generator; ③ gas mixing container1; ④ gas mixing container2; ⑤ membrane biofilm reactor; ⑥ nutrient tank, peristaltic pump; ⑦ tail gas absorber.

Fig.2 Hg⁰ removal performance of the membrane biofilm reactor for during 280-d continuous running test.

Fig.3 Hg²⁺ (a) and MeHg (b) content in the biofilm under different oxygen concentration; (c) the influence of FeS addition on MeHg and Hg²⁺ content.

Fig.4 XPS spectrum (a) of biofilm after FeS addition, and XRD (b) of surface of FeS before and after FeS addition.

Fig.5 The influence of oxygen content on bacterial community at phylum (a) and genus (b).

Fig.6 Influence of FeS addition on bacterial community at phylum (a) and genus (b).

Fig.7 Metagenomic function gene of mercury (nitrogen) metabolism.

Fig.8 Electron transport diagram of mercury oxidation using nitrate as the electron acceptor.

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