acib’s recent study highlights the potential of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria for more sustainable sulfuric acid production. Researchers investigated six strains of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and identified one of them as particularly effective at oxidizing elemental sulfur.

The most notable finding was the use of sulfur recovered from biogas digesters and external desulfurization units. Compared with conventional chemical sulfur, this biogas-derived material enabled substantially higher sulfate production. At a 6% sulfur loading, complete oxidation ultimately yielded up to 2 M sulfate.

The improved performance appears to be linked to the material’s heterogeneous particle size distribution, more hydrophilic surface, and the presence of protein- and polysaccharide-associated functional groups. These characteristics make biogas-derived sulfur more accessible to microbial conversion.

The results demonstrate how microbial processes can transform industrial side streams into valuable chemical products, creating promising opportunities for resource-efficient production systems and a more circular bioeconomy.