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Biotechnology has emerged as an affordable, effective, and eco-friendly alternative to treat carbon disulfide ([CS.sub.2]) containing waste gases. Carbon disulfide is a chemical of widespread use both in the past and in the present. Its industry demand has dramatically changed over the last two decades and is expected to grow in future in step with those industries involving fibre, mining, rubber products, and the agro-chemical sector. This compound, classified as a hazardous air pollutant about 20 years ago, has been re-appraised, as increasingly restrictive pollution standards are expected to be introduced. An array of physical-chemical technologies for treating [CS.sub.2] containing air are already in use, but they have a series of drawbacks, such as high energy consumption (incineration, thermal oxidation), the immobilization of the contaminant solely from one phase to another (adsorption), and the generation of secondary by-products that require additional treatment (hydrolysis). Thus, technological research on affordable processing alternatives is of considerable interest for related industries using or producing [CS.sub.2]. The biological technologies whose efficiency is based on the activity of microorganisms to biodegrade air pollutants overcome many of the disadvantages of conventional techniques and are especially useful for the removal of relatively low concentrations of pollutants. In this paper, the main properties, sources, and uses of [CS.sub.2] are summarized, and alternative biotreatments for [CS.sub.2] are reviewed. Several applications of the technical and economical feasibility of biofilters and biotrickling filters are shown, although their widespread industrial application still requires further research. Key words: carbon disulfide, bioreactors, air pollution control, biotechnology, industrial emissions. La biotechnologie devient une alternative abordable, efficace et eecologiquement acceptable pour traiter les deechets gazeux contenant du disulfure de carbone ([CS.sub.2]). Le [CS.sub.2] est une substance chimique d'utilisation tresrepandue dans le passe; aussi bien que presentement. Sa demande industrielle a fortement change; au cours des deux dernieeres decades et l'on s'attend a ce qu'elle prenne de l'expansion dans le future, de concert avec l'engagement de ces industries dans les secteurs de la fibre, des mines, des produits du caoutchouc et du secteur agrochimique. Ce compose, classified comme dangereux polluant de l'air il y a environ 20 ans a ete reeevalue, car on s'attend a l'introduction de nouveaux standards de plus en plus restrictifs de pollution. On utilise deja un ensemble de technologies physico-chimiques pour traiter l'air contenant du [CS.sub.2], mais ils preesentent des probleemes comme une forte consommation d'energie (incineration, oxydation thermique) l'immobilisation du contaminant uniquement d'une phase a une autre (adsorption) et la generation de produits secondaires qui neecessitent un traitement additionnel (hydrolyses). Ainsi, la recherche technologique de procedes alternatifs abordables presente un inteeret considerable pour les industries utilisant ou produisant du disulfure de carbone. Les techniques biologiques, dont l'efficacite est basee sur l'activite de microorganismes degradant les polluants de l'air, evitent plusieurs des desavantages des techniques conventionnelles et deviennent particulieerement utiles pour eeliminer les contaminants a faibles concentrations. Les auteurs passent en revue et reesument les principales proprietees ainsi que les sources et les usages du [CS.sub.2], et examinent les traitements biologiques alternatifs. On presente plusieurs applications de la faisabilite technique et economique des biofiltres et des filtres par biotrickling, bien que leurs applications industrielles generaliseees demandent encore des recherches. Mots-cles: disulfide de carbone, bioreeacteurs, controle de la pollution de l'air, biotechnologie, emissions industrielles. [Traduit par la Redaction], 1. Introduction Carbon disulfide ([CS.sub.2], CAS Reg. No. 75-15-0) is also known as carbon bisulphide or dithiocarbonic anhydride (ATSDR 1996). Carbon disulfide is a colourless to faintly yellow liquid. The [...]

ABSTRACT The question of how to obtain the best inocula for conventional biofilters arises when an acclimation/adaptation procedure is to be applied. Bearing in mind that no standardized procedure for [...]