The feasibility of developing biofilm on exhausted carbon using pre-deposited sulfur compounds as the sole energy source was studied, aiming to re-use them in odor biofiltration. The exhausted carbon with different properties, including surface pH, sulfur content and porosity, was used. A series of off-line trials were conducted to investigate the release of sulfur compounds from the exhausted carbon and the attachment of sulfide-oxidizing bacteria on the exhausted carbon. Without any pre-treatment, a few bacteria attachment on exhausted carbon was observed by SEM, due to possibly the limitation of reduced sulfur compounds release for bacterial growth. The biofilm development was much improved by adding NaOH solution to partially pre-clesorb the deposited sulfur into liquid phase, which provided initial energy for bacterial growth. With the attached bacteria, the further significant release of the deposited sulfur was achieved through an additional driving force: biodegradation. The key issues for developing biofilm on exhausted carbon were concluded, which mainly concerned of desorption of pre-deposited reduced sulfur compounds and porosity of carbon. The sulfur-associated reactions occurring in developing biofilm on exhausted carbon was proposed. Bio-regeneration of exhausted carbon in the course of biofilm development was also preliminarily assessed. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.