Microbial removal of sulfur dioxide from a gas stream

A study of the feasibility of utilizing the Thiobacillus ferrooxidans or Desulfovibrio desulfuricans bacterium for microbial removal of sulfur dioxide from flue gases has been carried out. Sulfur dioxide may be readily reduced to H₂S by contact with sulfate-reducing microorganisms in which Desulfovibrio desulfuricans were dominant in the first stage. The H₂S was then oxidized to sulfur by the ferric sulfate in a second stage where ferrous ions were regenerated. These results were compared to microbial oxidation of SO₂ from flue gases to sulfate by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. The mechanisms for the reduction of SO₂ to H₂S in the presence of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and the oxidation of SO₂ to H₂SO₄ in the presence of ferric sulfate and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans are discussed. Sulfuric acid or gypsum CaSO₄ · 2H₂O are byproducts from microbial flue gas desulfurization.