Metal-organic framework-based micropipette is a metal ion responsive nanochannel after adsorbing H2S.

Glass micropipettes are easy to fabricate, have excellent flexibility and stable properties. HKUST-1 and MIL-68(In) are in situ grown in the tip of a micropipette to construct porous nanochannels. After absorbing H2S, the MIL-68(In)-based nanochannel shows effective metal ion responsiveness for Hg2+-detection.

Copper Adsorption on Lignin for the Removal of Hydrogen Sulfide.

Lignin is currently an underutilized part of biomass; thus, further research into lignin could benefit both scientific and commercial endeavors. The present study investigated the potential of kraft lignin as a support material for the removal of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from gaseous streams, such as biogas. The removal of H2S was enabled by copper ions that were previously adsorbed on kraft lignin. Copper adsorption was based on two different strategies: either directly on lignin particles or by precipitating lignin from a solution in the presence of copper. The H2S concentration after the adsorption column was studied using proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry, while the mechanisms involved in the H2S adsorption were studied with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was determined that elemental sulfur was obtained during the H2S adsorption in the presence of kraft lignin and the differences relative to the adsorption on porous silica as a control are discussed. For kraft lignin, only a relatively low removal capacity of 2 mg of H2S per gram was identified, but certain possibilities to increase the removal capacity are discussed.

Metal-Organic Frameworks against Toxic Chemicals.

Materials capable of the safe and efficient capture or degradation of toxic chemicals, including chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), are critically important in the modern age due to continuous threats of these chemicals to human life, both directly and indirectly. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), atomically precise hybrid materials that are synthesized via the self-assembly of metal cations or clusters and organic linkers, offer a unique solid adsorbent design platform due to their great synthetic versatility. This review will focus on recent advancements in MOF-based adsorbent design for protection against chemical warfare agents (organophosphorus nerve agents, blistering agents, and their simulants) and toxic industrial chemicals such as H2S, NH3, SO2, CO, NO2, and NO.

Effect of dimethyl disulfide on the sulfur formation and microbial community composition during the biological H2S removal from sour gas streams.

Removal of organic and inorganic sulfur compounds from sour gases is required because of their toxicity and atmospheric pollution. The most common are hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methanethiol (MT). Under oxygen-limiting conditions about 92 mol% of sulfide is oxidized to sulfur by haloalkaliphilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB), whilst the remainder is oxidized either biologically to sulfate or chemically to thiosulfate. MT is spontaneously oxidized to dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), which was found to inhibit the oxidation of sulfide to sulfate. Hence, we assessed the effect of DMDS on product formation in a lab-scale biodesulfurization setup. DMDS was quantified using a newly, in-house developed analytical method. Subsequently, a chemical reaction mechanism was proposed for the formation of methanethiol and dimethyl trisulfide from the reaction between sulfide and DMDS. Addition of DMDS resulted in significant inhibition of sulfate formation, leading to 96 mol% of sulfur formation. In addition, a reduction in the dominating haloalkaliphilic SOB species, Thioalkalivibrio sulfidiphilus, was observed in favor of Thioalkaibacter halophilus as a more DMDS-tolerant with the 50 % inhibition coefficient at 2.37 mM DMDS.

A pursuit to design highly sensitive fullerene-based sensors: adsorption and dissociation phenomenon of toxic sulfur gases on B40 fullerene.

The adsorption phenomenon of toxic sulfur gases namely H2S and SO2 on B40 fullerene is scrutinized utilizing density functional theory-non-equilibrium Green's function (DFT-NEGF) regime. Adsorption of gas molecules is considered at both the hexagonal and heptagonal rings of the fullerene and adsorption energies, charge transfer, electron charge densities, density of states, transmission spectra, molecular energy spectra; Eigen states, HOMO-LUMO gap, current voltage curve, and differential conductance are premeditated. It is inferred that H2S molecule is physisorbed on the heptagonal ring of the fullerene while it is dissociative-chemisorbed on the hexagonal ring. SO2 dissociates into SO and O species on adsorption on both the hexagonal and heptagonal rings. From the transmission spectra and DOS analysis, LUMO dominant transmission is noticed in all the devices except the one formed with heptagonal ring adsorption of H2S which favors HOMO-dominated transmission. From the I-V curve and differential conductance investigation, different conductance values are noticed for all the junctions, thus proving that B40 is an efficient material to be engaged in sensing toxic sulfur gases.

Simultaneous removal of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia using a combined system with absorption and electrochemical oxidation.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3), common impurities in biogas, need to be removed before utilizing it. In this study, a combined system, which consisted of an absorption column and an electrochemical oxidation reactor, was tested to simultaneously remove these impurities. The effects of the current density and the chemical loading rate on the system performance were investigated. Firstly, the mass transfer coefficients for the absorption column were determined at various gas flow rates. More mass of NH3 was transferred, compared with that of H2S, because of its higher solubility. In the electro-oxidation reactor, reactive chlorine species (RCSs) were generated and oxidized both H2S and NH3; however, NH3 started to degrade only after H2S was completely eliminated. At a current density of 400 A/m2, the current efficiencies of H2S and NH3 were 23.1% and 5.9%, respectively. In the combined system, the removal efficiency of H2S was closely related to the mass ratio of the H2S transferred and the RCSs generated. The removal efficiency of H2S was greater than 99% when the ratio was less than 1. The mass transfer potential and the oxidation kinetics should be balanced to improve the system performance for the simultaneous removal of H2S and NH3.

Transient-state operation of an anoxic biotrickling filter for H2S removal.

The application of an anoxic biotrickling filter (BTF) for H2S removal from contaminated gas streams is a promising technology for simultaneous H2S and NO3- removal. Three transient-state conditions, i.e. different liquid flow rates, wet-dry bed operations and H2S shock loads, were applied to a laboratory-scale anoxic BTF. In addition, bioaugmentation of the BTF with a H2S removing-strain, Paracoccus MAL 1HM19, to enhance the biomass stability was investigated. Liquid flow rates (120, 60 and 30 L d-1) affected the pH and NO3- removal efficiency (RE) in the liquid phase. Wet-dry bed operations at 2-2 h and 24-24 h reduced the H2S elimination capacity (EC) by 60-80%, while the operations at 1-1 h and 12-12 h had a lower effect on the BTF performance. When the BTF was subjected to H2S shock loads by instantly increasing the gas flow rate (from 60 to 200 L h-1) and H2S inlet concentration (from 112 (± 15) to 947 (± 151) ppmv), the BTF still showed a good H2S RE (>93%, EC of 37.8 g S m-3 h-1). Bioaugmentation with Paracoccus MAL 1HM19 enhanced the oxidation of the accumulated S0 to sulfate in the anoxic BTF.

Smartphone Nanocolorimetric Determination of Hydrogen Sulfide in Biosamples after Silver-Gold Core-Shell Nanoprism-Based Headspace Single-Drop Microextraction.

In this work, the sensitive detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was realized at low cost and high efficiency through the application of silver-gold core-shell nanoprism (Ag@Au-np) combined with headspace single-drop microextraction (HS-SDME). After SDME, smartphone nanocolorimetry (SNC), with the aid of a smartphone camera and color picker software, was used to detect and quantify the H2S. The method took advantage of the inhibition of the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) signal caused by H2S etching of the Ag@Au-np preadded to the SDME solvent to measure the H2S concentration. The coating of the gold layer not only ensured the high stability of the nanomaterial but also enhanced the selectivity toward H2S. The HS-SDME method was simple to process and required only a droplet of solvent for analysis to be realized. This HS-SDME-SCN approach exhibited a calibration graph linearity of between 0.1 and 100 µM and a limit of detection of 65 nM (relative standard deviations of N% ( n = 3) < 4.80). A comparison with UV-vis spectrophotometry was conducted. The practical applicability of HS-SDME-SNC was successfully demonstrated by determining H2S in genuine biosamples (egg and milk).

Evaluation of a hybrid physicochemical/biological technology to remove toxic H2S from air with elemental sulfur recovery.

The removal of toxic hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from the air at pilot-scale with elemental sulfur recovery was evaluated using Fe-EDTA chelate as a single treatment at a pH of about 8.5. This was later combined with a compost biofiltration process for polishing the pre-treated air. Experiments were performed in a unique container system that allowed deploying either Fe-EDTA chelate or Fe-EDTA chelate/biofiltration treatment (hybrid system). The results showed the feasibility of H2S removal at concentrations between 200 and 5300 ppmv (H2S loading rates of 7-190 g m-3 h-1) present in fouled air. The Fe-EDTA chelate as a single treatment was able to remove nearly 99.99% of the H2S at inlet concentrations ≤ 2400 ppmv (107 g m-3 h-1), while the hybrid system archived undetectable outlet H2S concentrations (<1 ppmv) at inlet levels of 4000 and 5300 ppmv. At 5300 ppmv, the Fe-EDTA chelate process H2S removal efficiency decreased to 99.20% due to the limitation of oxygen mass transfer in the Fe(III) regeneration reaction. Under the previous conditions, the pH was required to be controlled by the addition of NaOH, due to the likely occurrence of undesirable parallel reactions. The elemental sulfur yield attained in the physicochemical module was 75-93% with around 80% recovered efficiently as a solid.

Nanoscale fluorescent metal-organic framework composites as a logic platform for potential diagnosis of asthma.

Asthma is a common chronic disorder, and the decreased hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production in the lung has been considered as an early detection biomarker for asthma. However, the detection of H2S in biological systems remains a challenge; because it requires the designed sensors to have the following features: nanoscale size, good biocompatibility, real-time detection, high selectivity/sensitivity, and good water stability. Here, we propose the potential of using nanoscale fluorescent metal-organic framework (MOF) composites Eu3+/Ag+@UiO-66-(COOH)2 (hereafter denoted as EAUC) as a logic platform for tentative diagnosis of asthma by detecting the biomarker H2S. This INHIBIT logic gate based on Eu3+@UiO-66-(COOH)2 (EUC) can be produced by choosing Ag+ and H2S as inputs and by monitoring the fluorescent signal (I615) as an output. Our fluorescent studies indicate that the EAUC exhibits excellent selectivity, extreme sensitivity (limit of detection: 23.53 µM), and real-time in situ detection of H2S. Further, MTT analysis in PC12 cells shows that the EAUC possesses low cytotoxicity and favourable biocompatibility that are suitable for the detection of biomarker H2S in vivo, as demonstrated by the successful detection of spiked H2S in the diluted serum samples. This work represents the possibility of using MOF-based logic platform for tentative diagnosis of asthma in clinical medicine.

Reduction of hydrogen sulfide gas in a small wastewater collection system using sodium hydroxide.

The Kennebunk Sewer District collection system experienced H2 S-induced corrosion downstream of terminus manholes for the Wells Road and Boothby Road pumping stations. An automated odor control system using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was developed to mitigate further corrosion. System performance was quantified by recording the [H2 S] in the terminus manholes before and after NaOH treatment. Preliminary evaluation at the Wells Road facility demonstrated significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the average [H2 S] between the treatment (4.8 ± 0.3 ppm) and control (67 ± 1.5 ppm). Permanent systems installed at both facilities in 2017 yielded similar positive results. The average [H2 S] in the Wells and Boothby Road terminus manholes reduced from 89.4 ± 1.0 to 8.0 ± 0.1 ppm and from 7.9 ± 0.2 to 0.82 ± 0.06 ppm, respectively. This work demonstrates the ability of the NaOH system presented here to minimize emission of corrosive H2 S gas in small collection systems. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Biologically-produced hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) gas corrodes sewer collection system components and results in premature asset failure. Maintaining wastewater pH above 8.5 by injecting sodium hydroxide (NaOH) minimizes H2 S emission by shifting the molar distribution of sulfur species and partially inhibiting the anaerobes that produce H2 S. The practical application of this approach may be limited to small wastewater collection systems.

Use of mature compost as filter media and the effect of packing depth on hydrogen sulfide removal from composting exhaust gases by biofiltration.

A study was conducted to investigate the utilization of mature compost as a biofilter medium for the removal of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from the exhaust gases of the composting process. Source-selected kitchen waste from municipal solid waste was composted in a reactor, and the exhaust gas was passed through a biofilter packed with a 1:4 (wet weight) mixture of mature compost and sand. Two treatments were applied under sterilized and unsterilized conditions to quantify the contribution of microbial activity. The effect of packing depth on H2S removal efficiency was also studied. A global H2S removal efficiency of 51% was obtained in the biofilter for loading rates in the range of 0-429 mg H2S m-3 h-1. The adsorption capacity was the main factor affecting H2S removal efficiency, contributing 64.2% to the total removal efficiency, with microbial activity contributing 35.8%. The relationship between the cumulative amount of H2S removed and the packing height was well-described by a linear equation. The equation indicated that 99% H2S removal efficiency could be achieved using a packing height of 96 cm for unsterilized packing material or 158 cm for sterilized packing material.

Performance of a compost and biochar packed biofilter for gas-phase hydrogen sulfide removal.

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of an aerobic biofilter packed with compost for the removal of gas-phase hydrogen sulfide (H2S). After 52 d of operation, the biofilter was re-packed by replacing a certain portion (25%, v/v) of the existing compost with biochar and its performance was tested. The steady and transient performance of the biofilter was evaluated by varying the H2S concentrations from 0.1 to 2.9 g m-3 at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 119 and 80 s, respectively. The maximum elimination capacity (ECmax) of the compost and compost + biochar biofilter were ∼19 and 33 g m-3 h-1, respectively, with >99% removal efficiency at an EBRT of 119 s. The compost biofilter showed a quick response to shock loads and the critical load to the biofilter during the shock loading step was ∼81 g m-3 h-1.

Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate reduction: Consortium characteristics and application in co-removal of H2S and methane.

Anaerobic sludge from a sewage treatment plant was used to acclimatize microbial colonies capable of anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction. Clone libraries and fluorescence in situ hybridization were used to investigate the microbial population. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) (e.g., Desulfotomaculum arcticum and Desulfobulbus propionicus) and anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) (e.g., Methanosaeta sp. and Methanolinea sp.) coexisted in the enrichment. The archaeal and bacterial cells were randomly or evenly distributed throughout the consortia. Accompanied by sulfate reduction, methane was oxidized anaerobically by the consortia of methane-oxidizing archaea and SRB. Moreover, CH4 and SO42- were consumed by methanotrophs and sulfate reducers with CO2 and H2S as products. The H3CSH produced by methanotrophy was an intermediate product during the process. The methanotrophic enrichment was inoculated in a down-flow biofilter for the treatment of methane and H2S from a landfill site. On average, 93.33% of H2S and 10.71% of methane was successfully reduced in the biofilter. This study tries to provide effective method for the synergistic treatment of waste gas containing sulfur compounds and CH4.

Characterization of Recombinant His-Tag Protein Immobilized onto Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles.

The recombinant polyhistidine-tagged hemoglobin I ((His)6-rHbI) from the bivalve Lucina pectinata is an ideal biocomponent for a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) biosensor due to its high affinity for H2S. In this work, we immobilized (His)6-rHbI over a surface modified with gold nanoparticles functionalized with 3-mercaptopropionic acid complexed with nickel ion. The attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis of the modified-gold electrode displays amide I and amide II bands characteristic of a primarily α-helix structure verifying the presence of (His)6-rHbI on the electrode surface. Also, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show a new peak after protein interaction corresponding to nitrogen and a calculated overlayer thickness of 5.3 nm. The functionality of the immobilized hemoprotein was established by direct current potential amperometry, using H2S as the analyte, validating its activity after immobilization. The current response to H2S concentrations was monitored over time giving a linear relationship from 30 to 700 nM with a corresponding sensitivity of 3.22 × 10-3 nA/nM. These results confirm that the analyzed gold nanostructured platform provides an efficient and strong link for polyhistidine-tag protein immobilization over gold and glassy carbon surfaces for a future biosensors development.

The synthesis, crystal, hydrogen sulfide detection and cell assement of novel chemsensors based on coumarin derivatives.

A series of chemsensors (1-4) containing fluorobenzene group based on coumarin derivatives have been developed for the selective and sensitive detection of H2S. The advantages of the synthesized fluorescent probe (compound 1) were the low detection limit (4 × 10-6 mol·L-1), good selectivity and high sensitivity which had been demonstrated through UV-vis, fluorescent titration experiments. Besides cytotoxicity test of compounds (1 and 2) was studied and the results indicated that compounds (1 and 2) showed almost no cytotoxicityat at a concentration of 150 µg·mL-1. The interacted mechanism was the thiolysis reaction of dinitrophenyl ether which had been confirmed by fluorescence and HRMS titration experiment. In addition, probe 1 can also detect HS- selectively by naked eye in pure DMSO solvent.

A comparison of removal performance of volatile organic and sulfurous compounds between odour abatement systems.

Three types of odour abatement systems in sewer networks in Australia were studied for 18 months to determine the removals of different compounds. Six volatile sulfurous compounds and seven volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were further investigated. All types of odour abatement systems exhibited good removal of hydrogen sulfide with the biotrickling filters (BTFs) showing the highest consistent removal. Biofilters outperformed BTFs and activated carbon (AC) filters in the removal of dimethyl mono-, di- and tri-sulfide species at the low inlet concentrations typically found. AC filters exhibited little VOC removal with no compound consistently identified as having a removal greater than 0%. Biofilters outperformed BTFs in VOC removal, yet both had high removal variability.

Total sulfane sulfur bioavailability reflects ethnic and gender disparities in cardiovascular disease.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has emerged as an important physiological and pathophysiological signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system influencing vascular tone, cytoprotective responses, redox reactions, vascular adaptation, and mitochondrial respiration. However, bioavailable levels of H2S in its various biochemical metabolite forms during clinical cardiovascular disease remain poorly understood. We performed a case-controlled study to quantify and compare the bioavailability of various biochemical forms of H2S in patients with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD). In our study, we used the reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography monobromobimane assay to analytically measure bioavailable pools of H2S. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also identified using DNA Pyrosequencing. We found that plasma acid labile sulfide levels were significantly reduced in Caucasian females with CVD compared with those without the disease. Conversely, plasma bound sulfane sulfur levels were significantly reduced in Caucasian males with CVD compared with those without the disease. Surprisingly, gender differences of H2S bioavailability were not observed in African Americans, although H2S bioavailability was significantly lower overall in this ethnic group compared to Caucasians. We also performed SNP analysis of H2S synthesizing enzymes and found a significant increase in cystathionine gamma-lyase (CTH) 1364 G-T allele frequency in patients with CVD compared to controls. Lastly, plasma H2S bioavailability was found to be predictive for cardiovascular disease in Caucasian subjects as determined by receiver operator characteristic analysis. These findings reveal that plasma H2S bioavailability could be considered a biomarker for CVD in an ethnic and gender manner. Cystathionine gamma-lyase 1346 G-T SNP might also contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease development.

Airlift bioreactor system for simultaneous removal of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia from synthetic and actual waste gases.

The effectiveness of an airlift reactor system in simultaneously removing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) from synthetic and actual waste gases was investigated. The effects of various parameters, including the ratio of inoculum dilution, the gas concentration, the gas retention time, catalyst addition, the bubble size, and light intensity, on H2S and NH3 removal were investigated. The results revealed that optimal gas removal could be achieved by employing an activated inoculum, using a small bubble stone, applying reinforced fluorescent light, adding Fe2O3 catalysts, and applying a gas retention time of 20 s. The shock loading did not substantially affect the removal efficiency of the airlift bioreactor. Moreover, more than 98.5% of H2S and 99.6% of NH3 were removed in treating actual waste gases. Fifteen bands or species were observed in a profile from denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis during waste gas treatment. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the phylum Proteobacteria to be predominant. Six bacterial strains were consistently present during the entire operating period; however, only Rhodobacter capsulatus, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, and Arthrobacter oxydans were relatively abundant in the system. The photosynthetic bacteria R. capsulatus and R. palustris were responsible for H2S oxidation, especially when the reinforced fluorescent light was used. The heterotrophic nitrifier A. oxydans was responsible for NH3 oxidation. To our knowledge, this is the first report on simultaneous H2S and NH3 removal using an airlift bioreactor system. It clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the system in treating actual waste gases containing H2S and NH3.

H2S adsorption by municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash with heavy metals immobilization.

As a byproduct of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plant, fly ash is becoming a challenge for waste management in recent years. In this study, MSWI fly ash (FA) was evaluated for the potential capacity of odorous gas H2S removal. Results showed that fly ash demonstrated longer breakthrough time and higher H2S capacities than coal fly ash and sandy soil, due to its high content of alkali oxides of metals including heavy metals. H2S adsorption capacities of FA1 and FA2 were 15.89 and 12.59 mg H2S/g, respectively for 750 ppm H2S. The adsorption of H2S on fly ash led to formation of elemental sulfur and metal sulfide. More importantly, the formation of metal sulfide significantly reduced the leachability of heavy metals, such as Cr, Cu, Cd and Pb as shown by TCLP tests. The adsorption isotherms fit well with Langmuir model with the correlation coefficient over 0.99. The adsorption of H2S on fly ash features simultaneous H2S removal and stabilization and heavy metals found in most MSWI fly ash, making fly ash the potential low cost recycled sorbent material.